Body of ‘Declared Foreigner’ Stirs Up State Administration

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The State administration is on the horns of a dilemma over the body of a ‘declared foreigner’. The logjam has led the body of the declared foreigner to be kept for five days in the morgue. The logjam is still to be broken.

The next of kin of the dead person have set a condition that they will receive the body only if the ‘dead person’ is declared an Indian by the government. Their reason is straight – if the person was a foreigner, how can they receive his body? They say it’s the government’s responsibility to send his body to the country from where he intruded to Assam.

In October 2017, an FT (Foreigners Tribunal) declared Dulal Chandra Paul of Dhekiajuli a foreigner. He was sent to the detention camp in Tezpur Central Jail on October 11, 2017. On September 29, 2019, the Tezpur Central Jail authorities admitted him to the GMCH (Gauhati Medical College and Hospital) for treatment. While under treatment, Paul died in the GMCH on October 31, 2019.

All post-death procedures followed as usual. The Bhangagarh police maintained its GD (general diary) conforming the death of the declared foreigner, did the post-mortem of the body and asked the Tezpur Jail Authority to receive the body. On its part, the jail authority contacted the next of kin of the declared foreigner to receive the body.

The next of kin of Dulal Chandra Paul responded to the jail authority with a straight ‘no’. “If he (Dulal) was a foreigner, we can’t receive his body. It’s the duty of the authority concerned to send the body to the country from where he came to Assam. We can receive the body if the government declares that Dulal Chandra Paul was an Indian or mentions Dulal as an Indian in his death certificate,” a source quoted the next of kin of Dulal as saying.

The family members of Dulal further said that they have land-related documents of 1960, and the two of his siblings – one elder and one younger – have had their names appeared in the NRC. They are quite ignorant as to why the FT concerned declared Dulal a foreigner.

Meanwhile, the body of Dulal Chandra Paul is in the GMCH morgue for the fifth day on Thursday. The Tezpur Central Jail Authority wrote to the GMCH to keep the body in the morgue for a few more days till the matter is settled.

On his part, the Sonitpur Deputy Commissioner has informed the government of the situation. He is waiting for the directive on the issue from Dispur.

How Dispur breaks the logjam is something to keep tabs on.

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