Systematic assault on democracy: Mamata after man in Bengal gets Assam Foreigners' Tribunal notice
Kolkata, Jul 7 (PTI): Alleging that it was a systematic assault on democracy, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday hit out at the BJP after a Foreigners' Tribunal in Assam served a notice to a farmer from West Bengal's Coochbehar, declaring him an illegal migrant.
Urging the opposition to unite against what she called the BJP's "divisive and oppressive machinery", Banerjee alleged that it was proof that the ruling dispensation in Assam was attempting to implement NRC in West Bengal, where it holds no power or jurisdiction.
"I am shocked and deeply disturbed to learn that the Foreigners Tribunal in Assam has issued an NRC notice to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a Rajbanshi, resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar for over 50 years. Despite furnishing valid identity documents, he is being harassed on suspicion of being a 'foreigner/illegal migrant'," she said in a post on X.
"This is nothing short of a systematic assault on democracy. It is proof that the ruling BJP dispensation in Assam is attempting to implement NRC in Bengal, where it holds no power or jurisdiction," she added.
Banerjee claimed that a premeditated attempt was being made to intimidate, disenfranchise, and target marginalised communities.
"This unconstitutional overreach is anti-people, and exposes BJP’s dangerous agenda of bulldozing democratic safeguards and erasing the identity of Bengal's people," she alleged.
"This alarming situation calls for urgent unity among all Opposition parties to stand up against BJP's divisive and oppressive machinery. Bengal will not stand by as the constitutional fabric of India is torn apart," she said.
The chief minister's statement came a day after the farmer told reporters that he had never stepped out of Coochbehar and was stunned to receive the notice labelling him an illegal immigrant.
The state BJP had earlier blamed the Mamata Banerjee-led government for irregularities in documentation for the incident.
It had claimed that many illegal immigrants from Bangladesh have obtained forged Indian documents and are now being passed off as legitimate citizens.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
