Nalbari (Assam):
The Nalbari district administration on Saturday declined to commit to the demands put forth by family members of 70-year-old Falu Das, who was declared a ‘foreigner’ and died recently.
The family have two major conditions for accepting Das’ body — all of them be included in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) without any official process, and not a single member be sent to the detention camp in future.
Even two days after Das’ death, his family members have refused to accept his body, contending that their demands have to be heard to declare the deceased an Indian national.
“Their demands are duly recognised, but the district administration is not the authority to decide on those. So, we cannot say anything about their demands at this moment. The government will take necessary decision,” Nalbari Deputy Commissioner Bhartat Bhushan Devchoudhury told PTI.
Das was admitted to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital on October 13, as his health condition deteriorated at the Goalpara determination camp, where he was staying since 2017, after being declared a ‘foreigner’ by the Foreigners Tribunal. He died on Thursday.
The family members, residents of Chatemari village under Mukalmua police station in the district, refuse to accept his body, as he is a declared ‘foreigner’.
Devchoudhury said the administration has urged the family to receive Das’ body on humanitarian grounds and complete his last rites.
The deputy commissioner added that it will also extend all possible help in cremation if the family accepts his body.
Meanwhile, the district administration on Saturday sent a medical team to Das’ residence, as the condition of his wife turned critical.
Earlier this month, family members of Dulal Chandra Paul, who was in a detention camp after being declared as ‘foreigner’, too, refused to receive his body.
Only after Assam ministers Parimal Suklabaidya and Ranjit Dutta met the family and assured to provide necessary legal aid for getting Paul to be declared as an Indian national, that his cremation was done.
On Friday, the Assam government constituted a Special Review Committee to oversee various conditions prevailing in the detention centres that house persons declared as ‘foreigners’ by the Foreigners Tribunals.
