Declared Foreigner And Sent To Detention Camp, Assam Woman, Dulubi Bibi, Gets Clean Chit 6 Years Later, Asks: ‘Who Is Responsible?’
New Age
Islam News Bureau
14 October 2023
·
Declared Foreigner
And Sent To Detention Camp, Assam Woman Gets Clean Chit 6 Years Later, Asks:
‘Who Is Responsible?’
·
Securing A
Bright Future For Afghanistan Depends On Supporting Women’s Rights: US Envoy
·
Emirati
Woman Climber Rescued After Harrowing Fall At Jebel Akhdar In Oman
·
Israeli
Actor Rona-Lee Shimon Thanks People For Supporting Israel
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/detention-assam-woman-foreigner-nrc/d/130903
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Declared Foreigner And Sent To Detention
Camp, Assam Woman, Dulubi Bibi, Gets Clean Chit 6 Years Later, Asks: ‘Who Is
Responsible?’
Dulubi Bibi, 48
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October 14, 2023'
“Why was I detained for two years and
ten days? Who is responsible for the suffering and hardship?”
There were no immediate answers to
48-year-old Dulubi Bibi’s questions on Friday, days after she was declared an
Indian citizen following what seemed like a never-ending nightmare.
It was in 2017 that Bibi was declared a
“foreigner” by a Foreigners’ Tribunal in Assam because of inconsistencies in
her name in the voter lists, and sent to a detention camp where she spent two
years.
But the ordeal started much earlier
—1997, in fact. A resident of Khaspur
village in Assam’s Cachar district, Bibi first came under the scanner of the
Electoral Registration Officer during the revision of electoral rolls from the
Udharbond assembly constituency that year. Her name, listed as Dulubi Bibi in
the draft electoral roll, had not featured in earlier voter lists, which cast a
doubt on her citizenship.
A case was registered under the Illegal
Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act the following year, but it was only
in 2015 that she received a notice from the Foreigners’ Tribunal. On March 20,
2017, the tribunal declared her a “foreigner” who had entered the country after
March 25, 1971.
Six years on, it has been established
that the Dulubi Bibi in the 1997 electoral roll was the same person as Dulabjan
Begum in the 1993 voter list, and details of her father and grandfather could
be traced back to the 1965 voter lists.
In the interim, she spent two years in a
detention camp in Silchar before she was released on bail on April 27, 2020.
“After I was released, I had to keep travelling up and down from Silchar by
myself, without my husband, because it was too expensive for both of us,” she
said, adding that each trip cost her around Rs 600.
After she was declared a foreigner in
2017, Bibi approached the Gauhati High Court, armed with voter lists going back
to 1965 that contained the names of her grandfather and father. Her
grandfather’s name appeared as Majmil Ali in the 1965 voter list. The 1985
voter list contained the name of her father as Sirai Mia Laskar, son of Majmil
Ali Laskar, while the 1993 voter list referred to him as Sirai Mia, son of
Majmil Ali. The 1993 voter list referred to her as Dolobjan Begum, daughter of
Sirai Mia.
Bibi pointed to this continuity to prove
that she is an Indian citizen.
The High Court, in April, acknowledged
that if this continuity were confirmed, she would have discharged the burden of
proof. However, the court stated that it first had to be confirmed whether
Majmil Ali and Majmil Ali Laskar, Sirai Mia and Sirai Mia Laskar, and Dolobjan
Begum and Dulubi Bibi — different names in the different voter lists — were the
same people. The court remanded the matter back to the tribunal to examine and
verify what Bibi was referring to, and pass an order accordingly.
In an order dated October 7, the
Foreigners’ Tribunal 3 in Silchar stated that on the basis of documents
submitted, it found “very much detailed information of relationship of (Bibi’s)
family members, which reveals the continuity of the family”. It declared that
she “is a Citizen of India born out of Indian Citizens living in Indian soil”.
Silchar-based social activist Kamal
Chakraborty, who assisted Bibi with her case, said: “The problem is
inconsistencies in different voter lists. Across the country, people have never
seen what their names are listed as in voting lists, but this has huge
consequences for people whose citizenship is under the scanner.”
Citizenship is a contentious issue in
Assam, where allegations often emerge that the state has a large number of
“illegal immigrants” from Bangladesh. In August 2019, an updated National
Register of Citizens was published in an effort to identify “foreigners”, which
left out 19 lakh people. Section 6A of the Citizenship Act establishes March
24, 1971 as the cut-off date for entry into the state, meaning that those who
came afterwards would be considered “illegal immigrants”. The final NRC was
also conducted with this cut-off date.
Source: indianexpress.com
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/declared-foreigner-6-years-ago-woman-in-assam-gets-a-clean-chit-whos-responsible-8982027/
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Securing A Bright Future For Afghanistan Depends On Supporting Women’s Rights: US Envoy
Thomas West,
the Special Representative of the United States for Afghanistan
------
Fidel Rahmati
October 13, 2023
Thomas West, the Special Representative of the
United States for Afghanistan, has stated that the suppression of women and
girls in this country has a profound impact on their mental health, families,
society, and Afghanistan’s economic life.
On Thursday, he wrote on social media
platform X, formerly Twitter, referring to the suppression of women in
Afghanistan, “We must remember millions of Afghan girls facing the most severe
forms of oppression in Afghanistan.”
He says the restrictions imposed on
women and girls in Afghanistan are “unprecedented in the world.”
The U.S. Special Representative for
Afghanistan has labelled the Taliban responsible for the oppression of women
and stated, “Nowhere else have half of middle and high school students been
deprived of education.”
In his view, this deprivation “will have
a severe and destructive impact on the mental well-being of women and even the
economic structure of the country.”
In a social media post, Thomas West
emphasized that “the Taliban are responsible for this oppression. The
international community must continue to support Afghan girls, hear their
voices, and empower them.”
He believes “securing a bright and
secure future for Afghanistan depends on listening to and supporting women’s
voices.”
Two years have passed since the Taliban
administration came to power. During this time, most women have experienced
severe restrictions and have ultimately been confined to their homes or forced
to leave Afghanistan due to the threats they face.
Rina Amiri, the U.S. Special
Representative for Afghan Women, has also criticized the policies of the
Taliban administration, saying, “The Taliban’s approach jeopardizes the rights
of women and girls everywhere.”
In her opinion, the “strict policies of
the Taliban” do not only concern Afghanistan and this gender-based approach may
influence other societies’ efforts towards gender equality.
Rina Amiri, expressing concern about the
Taliban’s attitude towards women’s freedoms, added, “The Taliban are creating a
dangerous precedent that others may emulate. This approach endangers the rights
of women and girls everywhere. It is our collective duty to resist these
extremist policies meaningfully.”
Despite one of the fundamental conditions
set by the United Nations and other women’s rights advocacy organizations for
engaging with the current regime of the Taliban being the recognition of
women’s rights and the observance of their freedoms, the Taliban has not yet
acted on this front.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/securing-a-bright-future-for-afghanistan-depends-on-supporting-womens-rights-us-envoy/
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Emirati Woman Climber Rescued After
Harrowing Fall At Jebel AkhdarIn Oman
October 14, 2023
Dubai: Omani rescue teams from the Civil
Defence and Ambulance Department of Al Dakhiliya Governorate have rescued an
Emirati woman who had suffered a fall while climbing at the Jebel Akhdar state.
The accident, which occurred earlier
yesterday afternoon, triggered a swift response from the local authorities.
Upon reaching the victim, the rescue
teams immediately administered emergency medical care at the scene to stabilize
her condition.
Following the on-site medical
intervention, the injured Emirati woman was airlifted by a helicopter, to Nizwa
Hospital for immediate medical attention. Reports indicate that the woman
sustained serious injuries due to the fall.
As of now, there is no definitive
information available regarding the exact cause behind the woman's fall. The
authorities have not released any further details surrounding the event.
Source: gulfnews.com
https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/oman/emirati-woman-climber-rescued-after-harrowing-fall-at-jebel-akhdar-in-oman-1.1697272486319
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IsraeliActor Rona-Lee Shimon Thanks
People For Supporting Israel
14-10-2023
Israeli actor Rona-Lee Shimon, best
known for her part in the television series 'Fauda' has thanked all those who
supported her country, which came under attack by Hamas terrorists. Taking to
X, the official page of Fauda Official posted a video of the actor. "I
want to say thank you to all of the people around the world who are supporting
Israel at this time. Thank you for your voices, thanks for your support this is
the best thing to do for us. I have been getting messages from all around the
world to support you so much. October 7th will go down in history as one of the
most horrific massacres ever done in the history of the world. Thank you for
not being silent," she said
The move came days after 'Fauda' producer
and actor LiorRaz took to the front lines by joining the volunteer group
Brothers in Arms. Also, Israeli singer-songwriter and actor IdanAmedi has
joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
According to Variety, Israeli theaters
have gone dark and many who have been active in media and entertainment are
volunteering in extensive ways. Adar Shafran, a producer and filmmaker who
chairs the Israeli Producers Association, said production work across the
country has halted, Variety reported.
Rotem Shamir, the director of 'Fauda'
told Screen Daily, "In the days that passed since the attack, we have
ceased all work on our productions. It is not only impossible to think about
work in a time like this, but there are people dead or missing everywhere. We
now turn our energy and time to help out as much as we can." The IDF Home
Front Command has mandated all local Israeli film and TV productions must cease
as the entire film and audiovisual industry shifts to on-the-ground aid and
live news coverage, according to the Screen Daily, a British film magazine
covering the international film business.
Meanwhile, in the ongoing Israel-Hamas
conflict efforts for de-escalation and ceasefire have been made by various
international parties, but achieving lasting peace remains a formidable
challenge. Israel has undertaken measures to protect its citizens, including
the deployment of Iron Dome missile defence systems, which have intercepted
many of incoming rockets.
Civilians on both sides continue to
endure the consequences of violence. The Israel-Hamas war entered the eighth
day on Saturday. The conflict erupted after terror group, Hamas, launched a
surprise attack on Israel on October 7, and a barrage of rockets stormed into
southern Israel.
The Israel Defence Forces on Friday called
for an immediate evacuation of Gaza. Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson,
Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said that the death toll from the Hamas
terror attacks on Israel has jumped to 1,300 and more than 3000 have been
injured.
He also touched on the ongoing efforts
to collect the bodies and bring them to Tel Aviv for identification before
handing them over to their loved ones. Calling it a "tedious and detailed
process", he noted that Israel has never in history faced such a situation.
(ANI)
Source: devdiscourse.com
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/entertainment/2649828-reuters-entertainment-news-summary
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/detention-assam-woman-foreigner-nrc/d/130903