Eroding identities of Brahmaputra’s children
The article explores the plight of Aminul Hoque, a man in Assam whose citizenship was challenged by a Foreigners' Tribunal, highlighting the broader issue of identity erosion among residents affected by the Brahmaputra River's displacement. It details the legal complexities of the Foreigners Act and the 1985 Assam Accord, which continue to impact families living in border regions.
Why it matters
It sheds light on the human rights implications of citizenship verification processes in India and the intersection of environmental displacement with legal identity crises.
Almost six decades ago, the Brahmaputra River devoured Pashan Ali’s house at Charai Khasara village in south-western Assam’s Goalpara district. Now, a legal hurdle in the land through which the river flows is threatening to erode his grandson Aminul Hoque’s Indian citizenship.
On February 28, 2019, Aminul’s world came crashing down when the Foreigners’ Tribunal (FT) No. 4 in Guwahati adjudged him a non-citizen. The 38-year-old had been staying in a rented house at Borbori, a rural area on the outskirts of Guwahati, working as a daily-wage labourer when the police came knocking in 2016. Later, he told the court that the investigating officer referred his case to the FT the following year “without fair or proper inquiry”.
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