Several Muslim detainees held in Assam’s Matia detention centre have rejected the government’s claims that they are Bangladeshi nationals.
The Assam government, in an affidavit, recently identified 63 detainees as Bangladeshis. However, when the court questioned why they had not been deported, the government responded that the detainees had not provided addresses in Bangladesh.
The detainees, all of whom have homes and families in India, remain incarcerated despite evidence of their Indian citizenship. According to a Scroll report that tracked seven families, 20 detainees have challenged their deportation in courts, including the Supreme Court. Of the 63, at least 27 were sent to the detention centre in September last year.
The report highlights multiple inconsistencies in the government’s claims. Some detainees were listed in past voter rolls and the legacy data, which establishes their Indian ancestry. At least six were also included in the 2019 updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) list.
Their families argue that if they were indeed foreigners, their inclusion in these official records after multiple rounds of verification contradicts the government’s stance.
Several detainees are elderly, and their families remain uncertain about their future.
While some relatives claimed that hired lawyers failed to provide adequate defense, others are unable to afford legal representation due to financial constraints.
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