Assam BJP MLA under scanner after father accused of holding Bangladeshi citizenship under different name

A fresh political storm has erupted in Assam after serious allegations surfaced against the father of BJP MLA Bijoy Malakar, with complainants claiming he holds Bangladeshi citizenship under a different name. The controversy has now reached the High Court, casting a shadow over the Ramkrishnanagar legislator ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

The allegations centre around claims that the MLA’s father appears in Indian and Bangladeshi records under two separate identities. According to petitioners Brajagopal Sinha and Bijoy Kumar Kanu, residents of the Ramkrishnanagar constituency, the MLA’s father was listed as Shankar Malakar in the 2005 voter list of Sribhumi district in Assam. However, in official documents issued in Bangladesh in 2020, including a National Identity Card, birth certificate and passport, the same individual is allegedly identified as Sudhanya Kumar Malakar.

The Bangladeshi passport, reportedly issued on July 18, 2020, carries the name Sudhanya Kumar Malakar along with a photograph that the complainants claim matches the individual listed as Shankar Malakar in Indian electoral rolls. The name Shankar Malakar is also said to appear in the 2025 voter list under Ward No. 10 of the town area.

The petitioners have questioned how the son of a person allegedly holding Bangladeshi citizenship could serve as a member of the Assam Legislative Assembly. They argue that dual citizenship under two different names is impermissible under Indian law and have sought judicial scrutiny of the matter.

The case has been filed before the High Court, which granted four weeks’ time for submission of relevant documents. However, according to court sources, Bijoy Malakar sought additional time after failing to submit the required documents within the stipulated period. The matter is now pending further hearing, and the court’s next course of action is keenly awaited.

The controversy has triggered sharp political reactions in the state, particularly in the backdrop of Assam’s long-standing and sensitive debate over illegal immigration. The complainants have argued that at a time when the state government is pursuing measures to identify and expel illegal migrants, allegations of a legislator’s immediate family being linked to Bangladeshi citizenship warrant serious examination.