Assam NRC notice to Bengal resident: TMC dubs it BJP’s ‘assault on democracy’

Cooch Behar: A political storm has erupted in Bengal after the Assam government issued a notice to Uttam Kumar Brijbasi—a lifelong resident of Dinhata in Bengal’s Cooch Behar district—demanding that he prove his Indian citizenship under the National Register of Citizens (NRC) framework.

The move has triggered widespread outrage across political and civil society circles in Bengal, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) vociferously protesting the development.

On Tuesday, the TMC organised a protest rally in Cooch Behar, denouncing both the Assam government and the BJP-led Central government. The rally commenced at Station Choupathi and was led by senior district leaders Abhijit De Bhowmik and Rajendra Kumar Baid. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the notice on the social media platform X, describing it as a “systematic assault on democracy”. She accused the BJP of weaponising NRC measures in Bengal—where it is not in power—as a tool to intimidate and disenfranchise marginalised communities.

Uttam Brijbasi, a resident of Shadiyal Kuthi under Sahebganj Police Station, expressed shock and disbelief at the notice. “My family has lived here for generations. My father was listed in the 1966 voter roll. I was born in 1975. Why am I being treated like a foreigner? I have never even been to Assam,” he said. He added that the Chief Minister’s public support gave him hope that he would not be forced to leave his home. Acting on the Chief Minister’s instructions, the Cooch Behar District Administration summoned Brijbasi to the Dinhata Block Development Office on Tuesday. Officials began processing his Scheduled Caste certificate, which he is expected to receive from the BDO on Wednesday.

The notice from Assam directs Brijbasi to appear before the Superintendent of Police in Kamrup district by 15 July to prove his citizenship. Alarmed by the development, Brijbasi reached out to local authorities for assistance. North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha criticised the move, saying: “It’s absurd to ask someone born in 1975 to produce documents from before 1966. This is a clear attempt to mentally harass Bengalis. We will take to the streets against this injustice.”

TMC district president Abhijit De Bhowmik described the notice as “humiliating” and “part of a dangerous conspiracy”, while Rajbanshi Bhasha Academy chairman Harihar Das termed it “an insult to the people of Bengal” and pledged to resist it with full force.

TMC MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia demanded an apology from both the Assam and Delhi BJP governments. “This man was born on Indian soil. Treating him as a foreigner is outrageous,” he said.

However, BJP MLA from Mathabhanga, Sushil Burman, dismissed the row as “political drama”, alleging that the TMC was using a fake letter to stir panic ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.