Won't accept body until he is declared Indian: Kin of man declared foreigner

Guwahati (Assam) [India], Oct 15 (ANI): The death of a person, who was declared 'foreigner' two years ago has caused much hue and cry in Dhekiajuli. The family of the deceased have refused to accept the body.

Family members of a 65-year-old man who died at a hospital in Guwahati on Sunday have refused to accept his body till authorities pronounce him an Indian.

The deceased, Dulal Pal, was marked under 'dubious voter' category in 1997. In 2017, he was declared a 'foreigner' by the foreigner tribunal and was sent to a detention camp in Guwahati.

The family of the deceased have alleged that he was declared a foreigner despite submitting property documents which were registered in 1965.

Dulal's son, Ashish Pal has stated that the family will only accept his father's body when he's declared Indian.

"We were called by the police to take his dead body. Since he was declared a Bangladeshi, then why should we take the body of a Bangladeshi? We will only receive the body after he is declared an Indian," he said.

On Sunday, Dulal's condition deteriorated in the detention camp and he died during his treatment at a hospital.

Speaking on the matter, Additional District Collector, Kulen Sharma said, "We are examining the conditions of his death. The family is saying that they had submitted a property document registered in 1965. A magisterial inquiry will be conducted in the matter."

Former Bharatiya Janata Party MP RP Sarmah criticised the Centre stating that Bengalis and Gorkha communities are being troubled on the name of NRC.

In a video, he said, "Dulal, an Indian was declared as a foreigner and he was also eliminated from NRC. He was a Bengali Hindu. The government speaks about Hindus but in NRC, 13 lakh Bengalis and 2 lakh Gorkhas are absent."

"Moreover, the judges here at foreigners tribunals do not know how to check the documentation. I request the High Court to send a team to train the judges at foreign tribunals properly," he added.