West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched a fierce attack on the BJP-led Assam government after a shocking development involving a resident of Cooch Behar. The incident involves a 50-year-old farmer, Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, who has reportedly received a notice from a Foreigners’ Tribunal in Assam, accusing him of being an illegal migrant despite being a lifelong resident of West Bengal. Describing the act as an “assault on democracy,” Banerjee alleged that the move reflects a deliberate and unconstitutional attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to extend the National Register of Citizens (NRC) beyond its legal limits into Bengal. According to her, this is not just an administrative error but a part of a broader strategy to harass and marginalise people belonging to vulnerable communities.
“I am shocked and deeply disturbed,” Banerjee wrote on social media platform X. “Uttam Kumar Brajabasi is a Rajbanshi and a resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar for more than 50 years. Despite possessing all valid identity documents, he is now being treated like a foreigner. This is a systematic attempt to intimidate innocent citizens.” The Chief Minister went on to accuse the Assam government of deliberately misusing the NRC framework to instill fear and insecurity among the people of Bengal. “This unconstitutional overreach is not only anti-people but also exposes the BJP’s dangerous agenda of bulldozing democratic safeguards,” she said.
Brajabasi, who was served the tribunal notice last week, expressed deep shock and distress when speaking to the media. According to him, he has never left Cooch Behar, let alone crossed into any foreign territory. “I was born here, raised here, and have lived here my entire life. My parents also lived and died here. I don’t understand how I can suddenly be labeled as a foreigner,” he told reporters, holding up his voter ID, Aadhaar card, and land documents.
