Latest news with #Rajbanshi
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Bengal man slapped with NRC notice to miss tribunal hearing?
1 2 Jalpaiguri: Fifty-year-old Cooch Behar resident Uttam Kumar Brajabashi, the member of the Rajbanshi community who received an NRC notice from an Assam foreigners tribunal, is likely to give his document submission hearing on Tuesday a miss. His lawyer, Apurba Sinha, was supposed to attend the Kamrup tribunal hearing on Brajabashi's behalf. But having been unable to contact Brajabashi over the past few days, Sinha is sceptical of attending the hearing. "Assam govt identified him as an illegal immigrant who entered India through the Assam border between 1966 and 1971 and was residing in Dinhata. Surprisingly, another document prepared by Assam govt shows Brajabashi was born in 1977. When govt itself is claiming Brajabashi is 48 years old, how can they ask for documents from between 1966 and 1971?" Sinha said. "However, I am not sure if I can represent him at the tribunal as I have not been able to contact him for the past few days," he added. Meanwhile, Assam govt on Feb 4 issued a notification stating that all Koch Rajbanshis would be treated as indigenous people of Assam. On April 11, Assam chief secretary Partha P Majumdar instructed govt pleaders in Assam to withdraw pending NRC-related cases against people belonging to the Koch Rajbanshi community. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Questioning the term "Koch Rajbanshi" in Assam govt notices, North Bengal development minister Udayan Guha said, "There is no Koch Rajbanshi community in Cooch Behar or other parts of north Bengal. Yes, there are Rajbanshi people. The notification by Assam govt is misleading and confusing." "We have assured Brajabashi and all other Rajbanshis that our govt and party are with them," Guha told TOI. Sources said Brajabashi may be on the dais on the July 21 martyrs' day rally in Kolkata. BJP's Cooch Behar chief Avijit Barman said, "There is no difference between Koch Rajbanshi and Rajbanshi. Since it was a Cooch Behar kingdom, indigenous people are often called Koch. They are the same. Governing party leaders know this well." He added: "They are just trying to create confusion in an effort to recover their lost ground in north Bengal, especially among the Rajbanshi population. Uttam Kumar Brajabashi has no reason to be afraid. "
India Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Trinamool demands apology from Himanta Sarma for 'divisive' Bengali language remark
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has come down heavily on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his recent remarks linking the Bengali language to the identification of illegal immigrants. The party accused Sarma of promoting linguistic discrimination and demanded a public apology or his resignation from the constitutional spokesperson and party IT wing head Debangshu Bhattacharya criticised the Assam government's decision to issue an NRC notice to a member of the Rajbanshi community, calling it an overreach of also condemned Sarma's statement that speaking Bengali could help identify Bangladeshis, saying it reflects the BJP's larger pattern of targeting Bengali-speaking individuals. 'Bengali is the third most spoken language in India and second most spoken in Assam,' said Bhattacharya. 'It is shocking that the Chief Minister forgets the contributions of Bengali speakers to the freedom movement and the existence of a state like West Bengal where Bengali is the primary language. The BJP has shown time and again that it is against Bengali-speaking people. Their disrespect towards the language is being noticed.'Echoing similar concerns, TMC MP Sushmita Dev called Sarma's comments a direct attack on the Bengali language and its speakers. She claimed that the BJP has a pattern of harassment against Bengali-speaking individuals in several states.'In Delhi, Odisha and elsewhere, people have been arrested and evicted for merely speaking Bengali. Now, the Assam CM has practically said that listing Bengali as one's mother tongue could make one a suspect illegal migrant. This is linguistic profiling,' she demanded that Sarma retract his statement and issue an apology. 'If he refuses, he must step down. A constitutional post-holder must not encourage division or discrimination based on language,' she added, warning that such rhetoric could reignite unrest in linguistically diverse states like MLA Udayan Guha also expressed concern that not just Muslims, but Bengali-speaking Hindus and members of the Rajbanshi community were being targeted. 'Bengali speakers - regardless of religion - are being marked simply for their language,' he remarks from the Assam CM come amid rising tensions around identity and citizenship in the state. On July 10, Sarma had stated that Bengali-origin Muslims not listing Assamese as their mother tongue would help the government identify the number of dismissed concerns that fewer people choosing Assamese would threaten the language's existence, asserting, 'Assamese will remain where it is.'The backlash also comes as the Assam government intensifies eviction drives. In Goalpara district, authorities recently cleared 140 hectares of forest land in Paikan Reserve Forest, displacing over 1,000 families. Opposition parties claim many of those affected were Bengali-speaking Dhubri, the government has reportedly demolished homes of around 1,400 Bengali-origin Muslim families to make way for a power project, further fuelling allegations of targeted leaders warned that linguistic discrimination, coupled with forced evictions and profiling, could deepen alienation and trigger unrest. They urged the public to see through what they called the BJP's divisive politics and reject the targeting of any group based on language.- EndsMust Watch
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
'Should have said he is a Koch-Rajbanshi': Assam CM responds to Mamata over NRC notice being issued to Rajbanshi person
GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma clarified that the instance of a man who had 'temporarily' gone to West Bengal being issued a notice by a foreigners' tribunal was just a 'judicial process'. 'It is a judicial process, but the State government has already recommended that (citizenship) cases against Koch-Rajbanshi people should be withdrawn. The process is on,' Sarma told the media after a cabinet meeting on July 10. He was replying to a query about his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee's statement that 'an NRC notice' was issued to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a Rajbanshi and resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar, West Bengal for 50 years, by the Assam tribunal. Sarma said Brajabasi should have informed the tribunal that he belongs to Koch-Rajbanshi community.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Himanta counters after Mamata raises hue & cry over Assam foreigner tribunal's notice to Rajbanshi person
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Guwahati: After West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that Assam's foreigners tribunal has served notice to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a Rajbanshi resident of Cooch Behar and is trying to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in West Bengal, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma countered it, stating that it is a judicial process and that the government has already made the decision to drop cases against the Koch Rajbanshi community.'I am shocked and deeply disturbed to learn that the Foreigners Tribunal in Assam has issued an NRC notice to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a Rajbanshi resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar for over 50 years. Despite furnishing valid identity documents, he is being harassed on suspicion of being a foreigner/illegal migrant. This calls for urgent unity among all opposition parties to stand up against the BJP's divisive and oppressive machinery. Bengal will not stand by as the constitutional fabric of India is torn apart,' Banerjee wrote on X on on Thursday said, 'It is a judicial process. The state government has already recommended that cases against the Koch Rajbanshi should be withdrawn and the process is ongoing. The person's lawyer should have informed him that he belonged to the Koch Rajbanshi and that the government has withdrawn cases against them.'He added, 'The advocate has not pleaded his case. The advocate did not convey to the court that the person belongs to the Rajbanshi community and that cases should be withdrawn. This person has two advocates. This person is a citizen of Assam and temporarily went to West Bengal. He is from Rehabari in Guwahati.'Sarma has stated that five Bangladeshis and three Rohingyas were pushed back. He stated on X, 'Early this morning, @assampolice PUSHED BACK 5 Bangladeshis and 3 Rohingyas to Bangladesh from Cachar and Sribhumi. Illegal infiltrators WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to stay in Assam and threaten our identity.'
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Systematic assault on democracy: CM on Assam NRC notice to Bengal man
Jalpaiguri/Kolkata: Calling the Assam govt's NRC notice to a Cooch Behar Rajbanshi resident a "systematic assault on democracy", CM Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday urged opposition parties "to stand up against BJP's divisive and oppressive machinery. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now " "I am shocked and deeply disturbed to learn that the Foreigners Tribunal in Assam has issued an NRC notice to Uttam Kumar Brajabashi, a Rajbanshi, resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar for over 50 years. Despite furnishing valid identity documents, he is being harassed on suspicion of being a 'foreigner/illegal immigrant'," the CM wrote in a post on X. "This is nothing short of a systematic assault on democracy. It is proof that the ruling BJP dispensation in Assam is attempting to implement NRC in Bengal, where it holds no power or jurisdiction. A premeditated attempt is being made to intimidate, disenfranchise, and target marginalised communities. This unconstitutional overreach is anti-people and exposes BJP's dangerous agenda of bulldozing democratic safeguards and erasing the identity of Bengal's people," she added. "This alarming situation calls for urgent unity among all opposition parties to stand up against BJP's divisive and oppressive machinery. Bengal will not stand by as the constitutional fabric of India is torn apart," the CM wrote further. Trinamool Congress threatened to take to the streets in protest. Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh told reporters, "Consider this: a resident of Bengal is receiving a letter from Assam. Who has the authority? This is a conspiracy. Bengalis are being oppressed and anyone speaking Bengali is labelled a Bangladeshi. Brajabashi is a native of Bengal, a Rajbanshi. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Now understand, those who engage in Hindu Kumar Brajabashi is Hindu, yet he received the circular. Strong protests are ongoing against this and will continue." After the CM posted on X, panchayat authorities of Brajabashi's village Chaudhurihat, along with Brajabashi and his family met Nitish Tamang, BDO of Dinhata Block 2. Four months ago, Brajabashi had applied for an SC certificate. He received the certificate on Tuesday. Brajabashi told reporters he was relieved because of the support of the Bengal govt and CM Banerjee. Brajabashi received a letter in Jan alleging that he had entered India from Bangladesh illegally through the Assam border between 1966 and 1971 and was residing in Dinhata's Sadiyal Kuthi area. Brajabashi maintains he was born in 1975 and has records to show that his father had been a Dinhata voter since 1966. Trinamool MP Sagarika Ghose said, "It is highly disturbing to note that the BJP govt in Assam is sending demands for citizenship proof from an inhabitant of Bengal. This is totally unconstitutional and anti-democratic…They have targeted someone from the Rajbanshi community…We will not allow the divisive agenda of the BJP to divide and to target the most vulnerable and helpless sections."
