Assam to lift all cases against Koch Rajbongshis in Foreigners' Tribunals: CM Himanta

Guwahati: After the Gorkhas in Assam, Koch Rajbongshi community is set to be free from the tag of being foreigners in the state.

In what may provide a reprieve to the Koch Rajbongshi, the BJP-led government in Assam on Friday decided to withdraw about 28,000 cases pending in the Foreigner Tribunals stating that the party considers them to be an indigenous community and not foreigners.  

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made the announcement after the Cabinet took the decision on Friday morning. 

"There are many pending cases in the Foreigners Tribunals of Assam. Among these, 28,000 people are from the Koch Rajbongshi community. They are today fighting cases, facing the insult of being called foreigners.

The Assam government believes that Koch Rajbongshi are an indigenous community. They are an indispensable part of Assam’s culture. So the state government has decided to withdraw these cases pending in the Foreigners Tribunals and of D (doubtful) voters being attached to Koch Rajbongshi people on an immediate basis," Sarma told 

The tribunals

There are about 100 Foreigner Tribunals, the quasi-judicial  body set up under the Foreigners Act, which are dealing  with cases related to "illegal migrants," mainly from neighbouring Bangladesh. 

More than 96,000 cases are pending in such tribunals and those tagged as D (doubtful) voters by the Election Commission way back in 1997, have also been barred from casting votes.

Those accused of being foreigners are required to prove their or their forefathers' existence in India prior to March 24, 1971, the cut-off date decided to detect "foreigners" in Assam.

The cut-off date was decided following the Assam Agitation or the anti-foreigners movement, between 1979 and 1985. The cut-off date was also upheld by the Supreme Court last year.  

Politics in mind

The "foreigners" has remained a contentious issue with the parties utilising it for political gains. Koch Rajbongshis are one of the six ethnic communities demanding Scheduled Tribe status and the community had demanded withdrawal of the cases pending in foreigner tribunals. 

Biswajit Ray, general secretary of Koch Rajbongshi Jatiya Parishad, welcomed the decision saying many among the community endured the pain of being "illegal migrants" despite actively taking part in the Freedom Movement and the Assam Agaitation.

Opposition parties, however, believe that BJP government took the decision in order to reap political benefits in the ensuing elections for Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) and the Assembly polls, scheduled next year. Koch Rajbongshis are deciding factors in several constituencies. 
In August, 2021, Sarma government had similarly decided to withdraw cases pending against the Gorkha community in the Foreigner Tribunals.