The incident, which follows similar notices issued to several other Bengali-speaking individuals from West Bengal in recent months, has sparked outrage across the state. The TMC termed the move “political terrorism” and accused the BJP of trying to render Bengali citizens stateless using a “backdoor NRC”.
According to Das, he was detained by Assam police 26 years ago during a work trip to Guwahati on suspicion of being an undocumented Bangladeshi national. At that time, after providing documents including ID proofs, he was released and returned to his home in Bengal. Since then, he says, he has not even visited Assam.
Despite having shown documents such as his voter ID, Aadhaar card, and land ownership records, the Assam Foreigners Tribunal rejected them and demanded proof that his late father, Debendra Das, was a voter in India. The NRC notice served to Das, written in Assamese, alleges that he entered Assam illegally after March 25, 1971, a cut-off date widely used in NRC-related cases.
Das claims he has procured proof of his father’s Indian citizenship but has decided not to submit the documents to the tribunal, in a form of silent protest.
This latest episode follows earlier cases involving Uttam Kumar Brajabasi and Arati Ghosh of Cooch Behar, and Anjali Shil, wife of Nitya Shil, from Falakata block in Alipurduar district, who were all served similar notices despite having lived in Bengal for decades and possessing valid Indian identity documents.
Reacting strongly, the Trinamool Congress took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating:
“Nishikant Das from Mathabhanga, a bona fide resident of Bengal, has been unjustly served an NRC notice by the Assam Government. This is an act of POLITICAL TERRORISM.”
The party asserted that Assam has no legal jurisdiction in Bengal to issue such notices to citizens residing in another state.
“The Assam Government has no jurisdiction in Bengal. Yet, they’re issuing NRC notices to Bengali citizens, blatantly undermining our federal structure. This is @BJP4India’s backdoor NRC,” the party wrote.
TMC alleged that the BJP, having failed politically in Bengal, is now trying to manipulate voter rolls and disenfranchise Bengali citizens. Referring to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, under which the Election Commission has reportedly removed 65 lakh names, the opposition has accused the central government of using the revision to target poor and marginalized groups, citing the rejection of Aadhaar and voter cards as valid proof of citizenship.
TMC added that the move is not only a violation of federal norms but a deliberate attempt to sow linguistic and communal discord.
“Speaking Bengali doesn’t make us ‘Bangladeshi’, a truth @BJP4India deliberately ignores, pushing a bigoted agenda,” the party wrote, while sharing a video of the Das family, who stated, “We are not Bangladeshi. We are from Malda. We have all the ID proofs. Only because we speak Bengali, will we be labelled as Bangladeshis?”
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has already described the BJP’s approach as “linguistic terrorism”, has assured that her government will firmly resist any attempt to rob Bengal’s citizens of their identity or rights.
“So long as Smt. @MamataOfficial leads Bengal, we will not allow even a single citizen to be robbed of their rights, dignity, or existence,” the TMC posted, warning the BJP to “prepare for a long, bitter, and unforgiving fight.”
The party further emphasized that what began as isolated incidents are now becoming a systemic issue, drawing national and even international concern.
“The horror unleashed on Bengali-speaking Indians by @BJP4India is no longer just a regional crisis — the world is watching now!”
As the dispute intensifies, the citizenship question has moved beyond the boundaries of Assam and become a flashpoint for national political and constitutional debate, further complicating the already strained relationship between the central and West Bengal governments.
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