According to the report published by Indian Express, Dulubi Bibi, a 48-year old woman was claimed as a “foreigner” by the Assam Foreigners’ Tribunal, because of the inconsistencies in her name in the voters list, as a result she was sent to the detention camp where she had spent almost two years.
When Bibi posted a few questions like,”Why was she detained for 2 years? Who is going to be responsible for the hardship and suffering?” There was no response from the Tribunal, after a few days she was announced as the citizen of India, post announcement was the scenario that looks like a nightmare which is never-ending.
This declaration was filed in the year 2017, but when studied in detail, it was said that the case was actually registered in 1997. Bibi, a Khaspur village resident in Cachar district of Assam, initially made a visit to the Electoral Registration Office in 1997 during the electoral rolls revision from the constituency assembly in Udharbond. Her name was listed in the draft electoral roll as Dulubi Bibi, which was not the same in the list that was featured in previous voter lists, giving a chance to question her citizenship.
Tribunals of Assam determined that a case was registered under the illegal Migrants in the year 1998, but the notice was made available from the Foreigners’ Tribunal to her only in 2015. On 20th March 2017, she was declared as a “foreigner” who came to India after 25th March 1971. After six years, it was Confirmed in 1997, that Dulubi Bibi was the same person whose name was noted in the 1993 electoral roll as Dulabjan Begum, details about her grandfather and father were tracked back from the voter lists that belonged to 1965.
Bibi was released on bail on 27th April 2020, she had spent almost two years in Silchar’s detention camp. She expressed her concerns about the cost that incurred during her visits to Silchar. She mentioned that, she had to travel from Silchar continuously by herself after her release, without her husband, and the cost of the trip would be around 600 rupees for up and down per person, which was not affordable by them.
Bibi went to Gauhati High Court along with the electoral roll list dated from 1965, which contained the details of her father and grandfather. In the 1965 voter list, her grandfather’s name appeared as Majmil Ali. In the 1985 voter list, the name of her father was Sirai Mia Laskar, son of Majmil Ali Laskar, but in the 1993 voter list it was referred to as Sirai Mia, son of Majmil Ali. And in the 1993 voter list her name was listed as Dulabjan Begum, daughter of Sirai Mia. Bibi used this continuity data to prove that she is a citizen of India.
On 7th October, an order was issued by Foreigners’ Tribunal 3 in Silchar stating that on the basis submitted documents, which showcase the detailed information about the Bibi’s family and their continuity in the voters list it was declared that, “she is an Indian Citizen, born out of Indian Citizens and staying in Indian soil”.
