Assam rush for 'the US-like' foreigner detention centre

Anita Dalu (name changed) covered her face, refused to be photographed as she rushed with bucketfull of sand for the construction of a hospital inside the 20-feet tall walls of the country's first foreigner detention centre.

"Many persons are coming and asking the same questions. Please don't click photographs. This may create problem for us," the 55-year-old woman daily wager belonging to Hajong community told DH a little angrily. She is among the 450 workers engaged in construction of the 2.5 hectares detention centre, coming up on the outskirts of Goalpara town, about 125-west of Guwahati.

She refused to disclose her name fearing that she could also be among those to be lodged in the centre as her name figured among over 19.06 lakh persons, who were left out of the final list of National Register of Citizens (NRC), released on August 31.

Dalu is among thousands of applicants belonging to Hajong community, who were left out of the NRC as officials could not verify the refugee certificates they submitted as a proof of their pre-1971 stay in Assam. Many of Hajong perons, living about 2-km west of the detention centre told DH on Friday that they or their parents were settled in various parts of Goalpara and neighbouring Kamrup district in 1960s after they had migrated to Assam from East Pakistan, which became Bangladesh in 1971.

Workers like Dalu and Amjad Ali were busy as Assam Police rushed to complete the detention centre by December. Work for the detention centre began on December 25, 2018. Dark clouds on Friday afternoon made Robin Das, a junior engineer of Assam Police Housing Corporation (APHC) worried. "We wanted it to be ready by October but rains and floods affected our works in July-August. We want to finish it by December anyhow," Das said adding that it was country's first and was like those in the US.

The jungles of the 2.5 hectare land, as big as seven football playgrounds was cleared before 20-feet-high enclosure was constructed first. Another 10 feet high enclosure was constructed to separate two four-storeyed buildings being constructed to lodge 400 women detainees. A primary school and a reception room is almost ready outside the entry gate. More than 80% work of the kitchen-cum-dining hall is complete while the work for the hospital, living rooms, offices, security personnel's rooms and quarters are going on in full swing.

Officials said nearly 1, 200 "declared foreigners" already lodged in six detention camps inside Assam's district jails will be first shifted to the Matia detention centre. Assam government faced criticism after a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court by human rights activist Harsh Mander about plight of such foreigners.

Although it has not been decided yet about the fate of those who were left out of the NRC and could subsequently be declared foreigners by Foreigner Tribunals, officials said the detention centre was part of the government's preparation to house them. "Our job is to get it ready by December," said Abhay Charan Basumatary, a section assistant of APHC.

Nayantara Hajong, another Hajong worker was not aware if her name figured in the NRC list. "I remain busy in work since morning. If we don't work, who will feed us?" said Nayantara, who was separated from his husband a few years ago. Women workers like Nayantara gets Rs 250 daily while men are paid Rs 300 as wage.

"It scares me when i think that i may also be detained here one day. But what can i do if our documents are not accepted?" she asked.