After 30 yrs in Army, soldier is declared a ‘foreigner’

Guwahati: In what has created anger among residents of the area a retired subedar who served the Indian Army for 30 years before his retirement on 2017 has been declared foreigner by the foreigners tribunal leading to arrest by the Assam Police.

Police said that Subedar Mohammed Sanaullah was detained after foreigners tribunal declared him a foreign national. He was commissioned as a JCO in 2014, promoted to subedar and later made Honorary Lieutenant.

Sanaullah’s cousin, retired army personnel Ajmal Hoque, told that the reason for declaring foreigner by the tribunal was a false statement submitted to the court wherein Sanaullah is alleged to have stated to have joined the army in 1978 where is date of birth was 1967.

He said, “We showed the documents stating that he joined the army in 1987, they did not accept it. Sanaullah never gave any statement claiming that he joined in 1978.”

Referring the another reason for declaring Sanaullah as foreigner a lawyer of the foreigners’ tribunal Aman Wadud in a social media post stated, “Sanuallah was not listed on the voters’ list in 1986 when he was 19 years old. But the minimum age of voting was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1989.”

Expressing deep anguish over the order of the tribunal, cousin of the victim alleged, “The tribunal did not even accept the land documents he has because of a minor spelling mistake in the name. Now, what can we do if the spelling is not right? It is the responsibility of the government officials.”

The Police have been accused to have not carrying out proper investigation into the matter but police denied it while claiming that they have recorded the statement of the subedar on two occasions.

The case was being tried in the foreigners tribunal since 2008. Sanaullah, who is a resident of Kolohi village under Boko Police Station of Kamrup rural district. He completed his schooling from Champu Para Government High School.