GUWAHATI: A retired Army officer, who is currently serving as a sub-inspector in Assam Police’s border wing, has been declared a foreigner by the foreigners’ tribunal in Boko, Kamrup district .

Md Sanaullah, 52, who retired from the Army as an honorary Captain in 2017, was arrested from Kalahikash village on Tuesday. Like other declared foreigners, he will be kept in a detention camp.

Sanaullah joined the border wing of the state police as a sub-inspector last year. The border wing of the state police is responsible for detecting foreigners who had settled in the state after March 25, 1971 — the cutoff date in the Citizenship Act for Assam.

On May 23, the foreigners’ tribunal at Boko issued an order saying that ‘Sanaullah has miserably failed to prove his statutory burden under Section 9 of the Foreigners’ Act, 1946 to establish his linkage to his parentage of Indian soil prior to 25.03.1971, and was also unable to submit any proof to establish the fact that he is an Indian citizen by birth.’

Sanaullah’s advocate and son-in-law Shahidul Islam said there was a mismatch in Sanaullah’s date of birth and his joining the Army in some documents. “He came to know that a case relating to his citizenship was pending only after his name was found missing in the draft National Register of Citizens published last year. Prior to this, he did not get any notice from the border police,” added Islam.

Azmal Haque, Sanaullah’s cousin and a retired armyman, said Sanaullah joined the Army in 1987 and had served in insurgency-hit states like J&K. He is also a recipient of President of India’s certificate for his promotion to junior commissioned officer in 2014.

Advocate Aman Wadud said, “Police prepared the verification report without even meeting him (Sanaullah). In their report, they say he is a labourer.”

