Retired Indian Army Havildar asked to prove citizenship in Assam

Guwahati, Nov 4 (IANS) A month after a Foreigners Tribunal in Assam asked a retired JCO of the Indian Army to prove his Indian citizenship, a retired Havildar of the Army was subjected to similar humiliation by being asked to prove his citizenship.

A Foreigners' Tribunal in Assam's Barpeta district has sent notice to retired Havildar Mahiruddin Ahmed and his wife Husniara Ahmed to be present in the Tribunal on November 6 and prove their Indian citizenship.

Born in January 1, 1964 to Basir Uddin, resident of Khablarbhita village in Barpeta district, Mahiruddin passed his Class 10 examination in 1980 and joined the Indian Army in 1986. He retired in August 2004 as a Havildar. His last posting was at the Field Ordnance Depot of the Indian Army at Bathinda, Punjab.

"This is illegal and there is something seriously wrong. We are seeking legal help in this regard. However, it is very hurting and shocking that we are subjected to such humiliation after service in a force like the Indian Army," said Mahiruddin on Saturday.

He said his wife Husniara is the daughter of Sarbesh Ali, a resident of Khablarbhita village in the same district. "She was born in 1972 and her father's name figured in the voter's list of 1966 bearing serial no 659," he said, terming the notice gross injustice.

"While one of my brothers has worked as Assistant Sessions Judge, another brother is working in BSNL. If I am not an Indian citizen, how can I join the Indian Army. The Army recruitment rules are so strict that they would not allow any non-Indian to join the service," he said, expressing his dissatisfaction.

In October this year, a Foreigners' Tribunal in Kamrup district of Assam asked a retired JCO of the Indian Army to prove his citizenship, much to the embarrassment of the police and the Tribunal.

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