The All Bodoland Territorial Council Minority Students’ Union (ABMSU) will issue a public appeal by Monday seeking information about persons detained in the ongoing crackdown against illegal foreigners whose whereabouts remain unknown.
ABMSU president Taison Hussain told The Telegraph the move followed a Gauhati High Court directive asking them to file an additional affidavit in connection with a PIL the student body filed on June 25 opposing the state government's policy of pushing detained persons into the no-man’s land between India and Bangladesh.
“The first hearing was held on Friday. The court asked us to file an additional affidavit listing detainees who have gone missing or whose location is unknown. We have to submit it by July 14, ahead of the next hearing on July 22,” Hussain said.
So far, ABMSU has tracked seven missing detainees from Golaghat, Nalbari, Kokrajhar and Barpeta. “We are finalising the appeal and will release it on Monday,” he added.
The appeal comes hours after family members of two detainees — Md Shaha Ali and Sohrab Ali Poramanik from Chirang — were permitted by the high court to meet them at the “holding centre” in the 7th Assam Police Battalion, Charaikhola, Kokrajhar, after 35 days.
Both were declared foreigners years ago and released on conditional bail in 2020. They were detained again on May 24, taken to Matia camp, and pushed into the no-man’s land before being brought back and lodged at the camp.
Their families now plan to move court. “They are healthy and well looked after now, but had a hard time,” Sohrab’s brother Naushad said.