Anjali Seal, a homemaker from the Falakata block of Alipurduar district, received a notice issued by a foreigners’ tribunal in Assam on Friday, three days after chief minister Mamata Banerjee had referred to it.

“The foreigner’s tribunal of Assam has served a notice on her and instructed her to prove that she is an Indian citizen. The Assam government is crossing the lines, and I would say that they should mind their own business. We will not let them interfere in our state,” Mamata had said on July 22, while bashing the BJP and its governments at the Centre and in different states.

The chief minister was referring to alleged atrocities on Bengali-speaking migrant workers in the BJP-ruled states, where they are being detained for days on suspicion that they are Bangladeshis.

Congress activists raise slogans during a protest in Calcutta on Thursday against the targeting of Bengali-speaking migrants in various states PTI picture

The inspector-in-charge of Falakata police station reached Mymensinghpara in Jateswar, where Anjali lives with her family, and handed over the notice to her on Friday morning.

The notice has been issued by a member of the foreigner’s tribunal in Kokrajhar. It has been alleged that she had entered Assam without proper documents and has been asked to appear before the tribunal with documents to prove her citizenship.

Sources said the notice had initially reached the Cooch Behar district administration. From there, it was sent to the neighbouring district of Alipurduar and eventually reached Anjali on Friday.

“That is why there was a delay in delivering the notice to the addressee,” said a source.

Anjali and her husband Nitya have two children. He runs a barber shop. Curious villagers gathered near their house after she received the notice.

“My wife has been under pressure ever since she heard about the notice. It is surprising that even before she received the notice, it went public. These days, we have to face several questions from people, and whoever comes to my shop is making queries. We don’t know what will happen,” said the anxious husband.

Anjali reasserted that she had all the necessary documents to prove her citizenship.

“Political leaders are paying visits to my home, but let me make it clear that I don’t need any pity. I have the relevant documents and I am ready to furnish those with the appropriate authorities,” said the homemaker.

District Trinamool Congress leaders said they were with the family.

“The notice proves that our chief minister was correct. The Assam government cannot banish anybody from Bengal on the pretext of the NRC, and we will politically resist any such attempt,” said Suman Kanjilal, the Alipurduar MLA.

The BJP leadership, on the other hand, said Trinamool was politicising the issue. “Anjali Seal is an Indian, and she has the necessary proofs. We do not think that she will face any problems. Tinamool is flagging the issue for political reasons and to create a rift among people,” said Deepak Barman, the BJP MLA of Falakata.

Trinamool’s protest

The Cooch Behar district Trinamool leadership has decided to stage a sit-in demonstration near the Bengal-Assam border on July 27, when the party will launch statewide programmes in protest against the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in other states, especially where the BJP is in power.

Abhijit De Bhowmik, the Cooch Behar district Trinamool president, said Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a Dinhata resident who had been served a similar notice, like Anjali, would take part in the protest.

“On Sunday, we will stage the demonstration near the Assam gate at Boxirhat. We want to send a clear message to the Assam government and the BJP leadership that Trinamool will not sit idle if residents of our state are being harassed by them,” said Bhowmik.