Debabrata Saikia
File photo of Debabrata Saikia. Source - Twitter

The Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly,  Debabrata Saikia, has cited the case of Dinesh Prajapati and Tara Prajapati,  residents of Pakharijan in the Tinsukia district, to highlight the rampant  persecution of genuine Indian citizens in the name of identifying foreign  nationals in Assam.

Dinesh and Tara Prajapati are languishing in a detention  camp after being declared as illegal migrants by a Foreigners Tribunal, even  though the reality is that both of them hail from a family based in Ballia, Uttar
Pradesh.

Also read: Assam: Demand for D-voter tag removal from Tinsukia’s Dinesh Prajapati’s family

Disclosing that he has engaged advocates Syed Burhanur Rahman, Aman  Wadud and S.S.S. Rahman to fight the Prajapati duo’s case in the Gauhati High  Court, Saikia derided the BJP president, Amit Shah, and said the
Prajapatis are the sort of people whom Mr Shah is calling ‘ghuspethiya’ and  threatening to expel from India.

There are countless cases of innocent people  like the Prajapatis being prosecuted and persecuted as illegal migrants, but leaders like Shah are not bothered about their misery and are instead busy
in trying to derive cheap political mileage out of the situatio, alleged Saikia.

He cautioned Shah not to engage in the politics of polarization in Assam.

The Opposition leader said that he was confident that the Prajapatis would finally obtain justice because they possess documents establishing their legacy link with their family in Ballia.

Smita Bhattacharyya is Northeast Now Correspondent in Jorhat. She can be reached at: [email protected]