Ex-Army man, lodged in Assam detention camp after being declared 'foreigner', granted bail

Assam: The retired Army subedar, who was declared a "foreigner" and is currently lodged in a detention camp in Assam, has been granted bail. Md Sanaullah's appeal against the Foreigners Tribunal order, however, continues at the Gauhati High Court, his lawyer told The Indian Express.

On May 23, Sanaullah was declared a foreigner by Foreigners' Tribunal No 2 Kamrup (Rural). The 52-year-old retired as a subedar with the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) of the Indian Army in August 2017, after serving in insurgency-affected areas of Jammu-Kashmir and the Northeast.

He had joined the army on May 21, 1987 and in 2014 awarded the President's Certificate.

After the retirement, he joined the Border wing of the Assam police as a sub-inspector in Kamrup (rural) district—a special wing that deals with the detection of illegal migrants in the state— after qualifying the requisite tests.

His family members and lawyer maintain that Sanaullah's Indian citizenship can be proved easily with the documents of his ancestors, and of that of his employment with the Indian Army.

(With inputs from Indian Express)