Assam, Oct 2 (The Hindu) : Mohammad Haque retired as a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) last year after serving the Army for 30 years, but that wasn’t proof enough that he was Indian.
Last month, he was issued summons by a foreigners tribunal in Assam to prove his identity.
Following widespread outrage, Eastern Command officials said they have contacted him.
“Officials from Eastern Command have contacted me and have assured me all assistance in any circumstances. I am going to meet Army officials tomorrow and discuss the issue in detail,” Mr. Haque told The Hindu on Sunday.
Mr. Haque who served in the Army’s Corps of Engineers was summoned by the foreigners tribunal to appear before it on October 13 as he figured in the list of “doubtful voters” and prove he is not an illegal migrant from Bangladesh.
“I will go to the tribunal on the 13th with my documents and lawyer,” he said. There was no communication from the Assam Government after the issue came to light in the media.
An official from Eastern Command said that they would “guide him on the procedure to be followed.”
“Once he comes with the documents, we will examine them and see how to go about it. Then officials concerned in ex-servicemen welfare will liaise with the State Government and see if it can be resolved. If not he will go to the tribunal and we will provide all assistance,” the official said.
This is not the first time he had to face such an ordeal. In 2012, Mr. Haque’s wife Mumtaz Begum had a similar experience but was declared an Indian by the tribunal.
He has been summoned on the premise that he moved to India after 1971. However, Mr. Haque said that he is a citizen of India and his mother Rahimon Nesa was in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) of 1951.
While he retired from the Army, one of his sons is studying at the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun and wants to join the Army.
Officials said Mr. Haque will have to follow procedure. “It is a normal process. Given the porous borders and that documents can be easily forged, people are asked to prove their identity,” a senior official said on Sunday.