Woman declared illegal migrant becomes Indian citizen after long legal battle

Guwahati: 50-year-old Dulubi Bibi, a resident of Udharbond area of Cachar in Assam, who was declared an illegal immigrant from Bangladesh by a foreigners tribunal in 2017, has finally been recognized as an Indian citizen. The long-running legal battle began when he was declared an illegal migrant by a member of the Foreigners Tribunal-3 in Silchar on March 20, 2017. The decision was made during the hearing of a 1998 case under the Determination of Illegal Migrants by Tribunal Act. The case was later re-registered under the Foreigners Tribunal Act in 2015. The tribunal had cited discrepancies in his name and family details in various voter lists due to which he was initially declared an illegal migrant. Her name appeared differently in different lists, as Dulubi Bibi, Dulbjan Begum and Dulubi Bibi. Furthermore, there were discrepancies in the names of his father and grandfather in these lists. He also struggled to make the connection between his parents’ names. In May 2023, Bibi decided to challenge the 2017 Foreigners Tribunal order in the Gauhati High Court. With the support of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) in Cachar, he was provided free legal aid, and lawyer Mahitosh Das was appointed as his counsel. The High Court ordered the same member of FT-3 of Silchar to re-investigate the case. During the tribunal hearing, Bibi presented concrete evidence to prove her connection with her grandfather, whose name had appeared in several voter lists before 1965. On October 7, 2023, the same FT-3 member, BK Talukdar, who had earlier declared him an illegal migrant in 2017, ruled in his favor and granted him Indian citizenship. In his order, Talukdar said that in view of the facts, materials and statements presented in the various voter lists of 1965, 1985, 1997 and additional documents of 1993 and 2015, there is no doubt about his citizenship. He concluded, “As per the report submitted by the Superintendent of Police (B), copies of NRC details of 1966, printed voter list of 1993, village panchayat certificate, electoral voter identity card and relevant documents including an affidavit from the daughter of Sirai Uddin Laskar OP Dulbjan Begum, Dulbjan Begum, daughter of Sirai Miya and Dulbjan Bibi are the same person. In light of these findings, Talukdar said, “My considered opinion is that the OP (Dulubi Bibi) is a citizen of India, born of Indian citizens residing on Indian soil.” Dulubi Bibi received a copy of the official order from FT-3 on Wednesday afternoon. Describing her journey, she said, “I am a Muslim woman and my family is Orthodox. Before I went to jail, I used to work as a cook. I am not sure whether my husband will accept me or not.” Now do some work. Will the government take responsibility for this loss?” Kamal Chakraborty, a social activist from Silchar, played an important role in assisting Dulubi Bibi throughout the legal process.