Army veteran declared foreigner discharged from post

Assam police have discharged Mohammad Sanaullah, a sub-inspector in its border branch and the retired army subedar, days after he was declared a foreigner by a foreigner tribunal.

An order issued by the state police headquarters here said Sanaullah, a resident of Kolohikas village in Kamrup district, about 50-km west from here was discharged from duty effective from May 23, when the tribunal pronounced its judgement against him.

Police have also barred him from all entitlements as a government employee in view of the tribunal's order declaring him an illegal migrant.

Sanaullah, now 52, who had taken part in Kargil War, was declared a foreigner by the tribunal at Boko in Kamrup district and was subsequently taken to a detention camp inside Goalpara jail. He had joined the border branch of Assam police as a sub-inspector last year after his retirement from the army in 2017.

He was declared a foreigner after the tribunal detected mismatched in his affidavit and the documents about his birth, address and service. But Sanaullah's family have challenged the order in the Gauhati high court saying the tribunal pronounced the judgment based on a shoddy inquiry by police.

Assam at present has 100 such foreigner tribunals, the quasi-judicial bodies formed under the Foreigners Act 1936, which are dealing with cases related to suspected foreigners, who had illegally migrated from neighbouring Bangladesh into the state after March 24, 1971. The cut-off was decided in the Assam Accord of 1985 following the six-year-long anti-foreigners movement or Assam Agitation. Over four lakh cases of suspected illegal migrants or D (doubtful), voters are pending in such tribunals.

The order regarding Sanaullah, however, triggered controversy after the police officer, who investigated the case said the suspected citizens, whom he spoke to during his investigation was a different Sanaullah and not the retired army man. The family, meanwhile, are looking at the High Court, which is likely to take up their petition on Monday.

In his affidavit, Sanaullah said he had joined the army in 1987 in the electronics branch. In 2014, he was awarded the President’s certificate and promoted to a junior commissioned officer in the rank of Naik Subedar with effect from September 1, 2012. He was later promoted to a Subedar honorary captain before his retirement in 2017.