Relief for Gorkhas marked foreigners

: The Assam government has decided to stop marking members of the Gorkha community as suspected foreigners and referring them to foreigners tribunals, a top state official familiar with the development said. The state government will also move the high court for relief to members of the community whose cases are pending with the tribunals, said the official who did not wish to be named.

The move comes after a federal ministry of home affairs circular to the Assam government that members of the community who are citizens of India or who have Nepalese documents cannot be marked as suspected foreigners and referred to foreigners tribunals to prove their citizenship.

“The electoral registration officers (ERO), in case they are not satisfied with the documents of a member of the Gorkha community, will not include that name in the electoral rolls. They will be directed to not refer it further as a suspected foreigner,” the government official said on Monday.

In the case of the Gorkhas, the names were being marked as suspected foreigners or Doubtful Voters (D voters) through the EROs, the official said.

“As for those whose cases are already pending with the tribunals, the state government will make an assessment and move the high court citing the home ministry circular. We will seek relief that those names be referred back to the EROs who can then decide to include or exclude them from the rolls,” the official said, adding this could ensure they don’t face the harassment of going through tribunals.

“We demand that all those who have documents prior to 1971 their names should be removed from the list of D Voters and they should not face harassment at the foreigners tribunals,” Tamang said, adding the matter has been discussed at the highest level, and in tripartite meetings that included the central and Assam government officials. “If the government has decided that Gorkhas cannot be marked as D Voters, it would eventually solve the problem of 1.5 lakh who are out of the NRC draft, too,” Tamang added.

GUWAHATI