Cooch Behar: A political storm has erupted after Uttam Kumar Brajbasi, a 50-year-old resident of the Kuthi area in Sadial, Chowdhury Hat under Dinhata Sub-Division, Cooch Behar received a notice from the Assam government branding him an illegal infiltrator. Brajbasi, who has lived in Cooch Behar his entire life and with roots in Bengal, has been asked to prove his citizenship by July 15 or be officially declared an illegal immigrant.
The notice alleges that Brajbasi entered India illegally via the Assam border between 1966 and 1971 and failed to provide valid documents during a police verification process. The development has triggered public outrage and drawn sharp political reactions. Incidentally, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been highly vocal against the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). She has even alleged that the election commission is trying to ‘implement NRC through backdoors with Bengal being the main target”. Speaking to reporters, Brajbasi said: “In January last year, a letter related to the NRC was delivered to my home by the police. Upon consulting neighbours, I learned that the Assam government had accused me of being an illegal immigrant. This is absolutely false—I have never left Cooch Behar.”
His lawyer, Apurba Sinha, revealed that the NRC case was initiated by Assam in 2015, but the letter reached the Cooch Behar District Superintendent of Police only in December 2024. Brajbasi was formally notified a month later.
Sinha further alleged that the Assam government has rejected crucial documents proving Brajbasi’s Indian citizenship and is now demanding proof of inclusion in the voter list since 1966. “But neither the district nor the state administration has access to such an old electoral roll,” he said.
North Bengal Development minister Udayan Guha strongly condemned the move. “Uttam Kumar Brajbasi is not only an Indian citizen but also belongs to a Scheduled Caste. We question how the Kamrup (Assam) SP dared to send such a notice to a resident of Dinhata. We will raise this issue at every level and support Brajbasi fully.” However, BJP MLA from Mathabhanga, Sushil Barman, took a different stand, alleging: “This is a ploy by the Trinamool Congress. If they’re so concerned, why haven’t they addressed the matter seriously? They are politicising the issue to malign the BJP.”
As the deadline of July 15 approaches, uncertainty looms over Brajbasi’s fate, with the matter now escalating into a full-blown political flashpoint between Bengal and Assam.