Update - Silchar Detention Camp

Translation of Kamal Chakraborty's facebook post update that talks about the journey of reaching a stage where currently there are no detainees in the camp as of yesterday 29th May 2021

Link to the original post in Bangla: সংখ্যাটা এখন ‘শূন্য’!

Translation:

The number is now 'Zero'! The number of people who were sent D-Voter Notice by Foreign Tribunal and after unilateral verdict or loss in the court case became prisoners in Silchar Detention Camp is now zero.
Four people were due to be released this year. Sumon Das, Dipali Das, Manindra Das and Munna Malakar. Munna Malakar's family lives in Halflong. Munna Malakar's wife Shilpi Malakar couldn't even visit Silchar the past couple of years as the local train has not been functioning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On top of everything, the substantial financial cost was hard for Shilpi to bear alone. She has two children, and she works as a domestic help in different houses. With the help of Halflong SP Border and Silchar Jail Super, Malakar was transferred to Halflong Police Station in December 2020. Munna Malakar will be released next month, June 2021.
This year, Sumon Das on May 10, Dipali Das on May 17 and, today May 29, after the release of Manindra Das, there is no one else languishing in the Silchar Detention Camp.
Manindra Das, home - Katigora, Cachar District, age 67 years. He received two back to back notices from the Silchar Foreigners Tribunal on the same day, on November 7, 2015. Case No. 4th /D/213/15/471 and 4th/D/214/15/448. For the first time that I (Kamal Chakraborty) witnessed a person getting two separate notices on the same date, I couldn't process how could this happen. The strange thing is that the same person's attendance and the same documents were required twice for these two cases. Such incidents are also happening in our state, Assam.
Manindra Das's father's name was Raichand Das, from the village Siddhipur, Katigora. Raichand Das migrated to Silchar, India, from East Pakistan on May 15, 1964, at the age of 28, with his wife Namadurga, age 25 and their son, Manindra Das, age 4. They took refuge in Dhalchara Refugee Camp, where they were given a certificate for migration No. 1187dtd. 21/6/1964. Raichand was a daily wage labourer; he worked in various parts of the Cachar District to take care of his family. He did not feel the need to collect his citizenship certificate. His son, Manindra Das's name, was the first on the voter list in 1996. Raichand Das collected the certificate from the relief camp but never managed to collect the Indian Citizenship certificate. This led to Manindra Das getting into trouble where he could not provide enough documents. But, the fact of the matter is that most of the people who later came to India as victims of partition have not been able to collect citizenship certificate. Many thought, "We will stay in our country; why do we need a certificate again!" This issue is not unique to Assam; post-partition many people who came to India from Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Bangladesh and lived in various states, be it Bengalis, Punjabis, or any other community with a sizeable number of people, wouldn't have citizenship certificate. We will get to know the numbers when the other states go through the process of NRC. However, Manindra Das submitted various documents to the court but couldn't appear in court on time. The main reason was that the lawyer fighting his case couldn't reach him as he passed away suddenly, and Manindra Das was not notified. Manindra was declared a foreigner in a unilateral verdict on July 13, 2016, and then sent to Silchar Detention Camp on May 8, 2019.
He finished his two years in detention centre a few days back. Still, as the Katigora Sub-Registrar's office was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a problem, hurdle and delay in checking and reviewing the land documents required for bail. After contacting the Silchar Border Police, they opened the office for a short period. Finally, we got the chance to get the documents verified last night (May 28 2021).
Manindra Das was released from Silchar Detention Camp on Saturday, May 29 2021, at 2.30 pm. The guarantor was Nishikanta Dev from Katigora. Today his sons Birendra Das and Upendra Das, both small fish traders, came to pick up their father. Manindra Das's case is now pending in the Guwahati High Court. Let's wait and see what happens. May Manindra Das Mahasaya and his family be healthy and well. May human beings like Nishikanta Dev also live a good life.
My journey with detention camp started on June 10, 2018. On that day, 102-year-old Chandradhar Das was released from the Silchar detention camp. Since then, till today, i.e. till May 29, 2021, I am overwhelmed to share that 46 people of Silchar Detention Camp can stay with their family! The number became zero today!! It makes me shiver to share this news! I never really thought we could do this.
A significant chapter of the fight ended today.
Kamal Chakraborty
Silchar