Cong MP writes to Shah seeking relief for war veteran

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure "justice" to Kargil war veteran Mohammad Sanaullah, who has been recently declared a 'foreigner' and sent to a detention camp.

Gogoi, in his letter to Shah, made available to the media on Thursday, urged him to institute an inquiry into the alleged inefficiency of the police officers who verified his documents and the subsequent declaration of the former army personnel as 'foreigner' by the Foreigners' Tribunal at Boko.

The Congress MP, elected to the Lok Sabha for the second consecutive term from Kaliabor in the just-concluded polls, demanded that the erring officials be barred from continuing their duty in such "irresponsible manner".

People of Assam are pinning hopes on the central government for justice, he insisted.

"Sanaullah's long service in the armed forces is proof of his patriotism and citizenship and we sincerely want relief for the veteran armyman," the MP added.

A resident Kolohikash village in Boko area of Kamrup district, Sanaullah was serving as a sub-inspector in the Assam Border Police before being declared a "foreigner" on May 23 and dismissed from service.

Earlier, he had also served in the Electronic and Mechanical Services of the armed forces and was awarded the President's medal in 2014.

He is currently lodged at a detention centre at Goalpara district in the state.

On Tuesday, the Congress MP's father and former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi had said the state government should move court to ensure relief for Sanaullah as he was an employee of the Assam Border Police at the time the judgement was passed by the Foreigners' Tribunal.

Almost a year ago, Assam had released the "complete draft" of National Register of Citizens (NRC), leaving out names of 40.07 lakh applicants, including that of Sanaullah.

The register aims to separate "genuine citizens" from "illegal immigrants".

The final NRC is slated for release by July 31.