Kind-Hearted Tripura Schoolmaster Helps 61-Year-Old Lady Prove Citizenship in Assam

Agartala, October 24, 2019:

61-year-old Gita Rani Sarkar has finally been included in the citizenship list, after an elongated period of uncertainty, with the help of a schoolmaster from Tripura. Gita Rani is a resident of Nalbari, Assam, and had been excluded from the final Assam’s NRC list published on August 31.

Gita Rani is originally from Tripura, and moved to Nalbari in Assam after her marriage. She had submitted a school certificate as a proof of her nationality as in the 1970’s, she was studying at Charilam Higher Secondary School of Tripura. However, the document was rejected by the NRC authorities.

ALSO READ: UDP’s Balajied Synrem Wins Shella By-Poll

Then, Gita Rani filed another plea to Nalbari Foreigners' Tribunal Court No. 1. At this point, she feared being sent to a detention camp.

Finally, the tribunal court summoned the head master of Charilam Higher Secondary School of Tripura to attend the tribunal with proper documents.

According to the sources, the head master, Dilip Chandra Das, applied for leave and requested the authorities to allow him to go Nalbari to help the lady. On Wednesday, he attended the tribunal court of Nalbari with all the necessary documents.

ALSO READ: Assam CM Promises Free Sugar to Tea Garden Community from December Onwards

Dilip Chandra Das showed the school attendance records of 1970, among other documents of Gita Rani Sarkar The documents were accepted and Gita Rani Sarkar's name was finally included in the citizens' list.

The benevolent schoolmaster told mediapersons that he had never met Sarkar earlier, and saw her in Nalbari for the first time. He said that the recently-widowed Sarkar, who has had to endure a lot, is like a mother to him. He even refused travel expenses offered to him by the 61-year-old lady.

"Now I am in Assam and the famous singer and composer of this state Bhupen Hazarika composed a song 'Manush Manusher Jannya'. I only followed that principle", Das said.

Support Inside Northeast (InsideNE), an independent media platform that focuses on Citizen-centric stories from Northeast India that are surprising, inspiring, cinematic and emotionally relevant.