Bangladeshi Nationals Residing In India Have Dual Citizenship Of Both India And Bangladesh, Alleges Former Hojai MLA

Many Bangladeshi individuals have been attaining Indian citizenship by fraudulent means, and several Bangladeshi nationals residing in India are alleged to hold dual citizenship—one with Bangladesh and one with India. These severe allegations were levelled by former BJP Hojai MLA Shiladitya Dev.

“On January 8, 2022, I brought to light the case of one Saifur Rahman Talukdar—a Bangladeshi national whose name appears on the voters’ lists of both India and Bangladesh. Despite being a resident of Hojai, Saifur Rahman is actually from Bangladesh,” the former MLA said in an interview with Northeast Live.

Dev added that the issue was promptly reported to the relevant officials upon discovering Rahman’s dual citizenship.

“One person named Abdul Qayum had lodged a complaint with the SP and submitted documents proving Saifur Rahman’s dual citizenship. Abdul Qayum provided the voters’ list from Bangladesh, where Saifur’s name clearly appeared,” Dev stated.

Dev further alleged that despite initiating an investigation, the concerned police officials attempted to “hush up” the issue.

“The police officials visited the village and coerced people into withdrawing the case, threatening them with serious consequences. However, when Abdul Qayum refused to relent, the investigating officer contacted the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Guwahati to verify the authenticity of the documents,” Dev said.

“The Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Guwahati replied that the documents were fake and that the individual in question was not a Bangladeshi national,” Dev added.

Dev found the entire process “interesting,” noting that, as a diplomatic issue between two nations, a state government police official should not have jurisdiction.

“This is a diplomatic matter. You should write to the Home Ministry or the Ministry of External Affairs. We have our own foreign office in Bangladesh. Our External Affairs Ministry will communicate with the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh to verify the claims. However, it seems that the Assistant Bangladesh High Commission Office in Guwahati is protecting Bangladeshi Muslims here and facilitating their conversion to Indian citizenship, which suggests involvement in such activities,” Dev alleged.

The former Hojai MLA also indicated that he plans to inform the External Affairs Ministry about the matter and request an investigation into Guwahati’s Bangladesh Assistant High Commission office.

He further stated that the involved police officers must be held accountable, thoroughly questioned, and suspended immediately.

Siladitya Dev also claimed that Saifur Rahman Talukdar’s case is not an isolated incident. He believes that many Bangladeshis, potentially in the hundreds of thousands, may have been enrolled on the Indian voter list in collusion with corrupt police officers.

Dev said he would write to the Assam Chief Minister, the Assam DGP, and the Ministry of External Affairs, presenting his concerns and evidence and demand a thorough investigation due to the matter’s serious national security implications.

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