Assam: 'D-Voter' Tag Claims Another Life in Nagaon District

Nagaon, July 31, 2019:

Another man lost his life as a result of being declared as a D-voter (or doubtful voter) at Juria in Assam’s Nagaon district.

It has been alleged that the deceased identified as Bajlul Haque was declared foreigner although his name was registered in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) of 1951.

Although the Foreigners Tribunal had served foreigners notice to Bajlul Haque in 1989, his family denied receiving any notice and as a result of this, he was declared a foreigner and it was only later that the family came to know that his name was not included in the NRC.

Following this, Haque approached the Gauhati High Court and sold his land for financial assistance needed for judicial proceedings.

On Sunday night, Haque was discussing the matter with some aides when he suddenly suffered a stroke and died soon after.

The incident led to a situation of unrest in the region and locals staged protests accusing the concerned officials of harassment due to the alleged practice of affixing 'D-voter' tags to the indigenous locals.

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