Assam woman labeled as Illegal immigrant from Bangladesh exonerated after three-year legal battle

Guwahati: A 73-year-old woman from Assam's Bongaigaon district has finally received justice after a three-year legal battle to prove her Indian citizenship.

 Seje Bala Ghosh, daughter of a freedom fighter, was labeled as an illegal immigrant from Bangladesh by a foreigners' tribunal (FT) in 2020.

However, she has now been declared an Indian citizen by the same tribunal following a thorough examination of her family's documents.

Ghosh's ordeal began in March 2020 when she received a notice from the FT asking her to appear before the court to answer questions regarding her citizenship. Shocked and humiliated, she sought legal assistance from Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), an Assam-based NGO.

CJP appointed advocate Dewan Abdur Rahim to represent Ghosh's case. Rahim presented a strong case, providing 13 valid documents that clearly established Ghosh's family's presence in Assam before 1951.

These documents included her father's Refugee Registration certificate, Passport, NRC of 1951, and voter list of 1958. Ghosh's mother's name was also recorded in the Donation Slip of 1962 and voter list of 1966 in Mangaldoi. Additionally, Ghosh's own name appeared in the voters' lists of 1989, 1997, 2005, 2011, and 2020 in Bongaigaon.

Despite the evidence, Ghosh's case dragged on for three years due to procedural delays. Finally, on November 4, 2023, the FT issued its verdict, declaring Ghosh an Indian citizen.

The FT acknowledged the validity of the documents provided and recognized Ghosh's family's long-standing residence in Assam.

Ghosh received the copy of the FT's order with mixed emotions. While she was relieved and grateful for the justice she had received, she also expressed her anger and hurt at the humiliation she had endured. She reiterated her belief that her father's sacrifices for India should never have been questioned.

 “My father was a freedom fighter. He was a close associate of Chandra Shekhar Azad Ji and sacrificed a lot for this country’s freedom. But after seven decades of independence, his daughter was called an illegal migrant, this is a shame,” HT quoted Seje Bala as saying.

Seje Bala, a devotee of Lord Krishna, lives alone at her house in Bongaigaon’s Salbagan village.