Another Indian dies in Assam with the the insulting tag of "D-Voter"; Ranjit Sen had lost hope long back

Homoeopathic physician Ranjit Sen of Udharbond was an honest and esteemed personality of the district. Starting from 1966, then 1970 and 1971, he has voted in many subsequent elections and has even proof of that. Even after that, on April 6, 2018, a police team arrived at his doorstep and picked him up and pushed him into a detention camp. And the label of D-voter was put against his name, implying suspicious citizen. The man, who has proudly lived his whole life, could not accept himself as a suspicious Indian towards the dusk of his life. He was also devastated when his wife died at home while in prison. He was released on bail but he then decided not to fight again for his citizenship. In the end, he has left the world after being infected by Covid-19. After Chandradhar Das, Ranjit Sen is now the second person from Barak Valley to leave the world without getting citizenship status.

Ranjit Sen’s grandson Ritwik Sen said his grandfather was nothing like his usual self after returning from the detention camp. It was as if he had no desire to live anymore. He said on several occasions that he had already died the day police arrested him as a foreigner. It’s as if there is no point in surviving and he no longer wanted to fight for his citizenship. Although he said this due to his pride being hurt. However, in the last year, he had not eaten well, had not any festivities and has not been active at all about fighting for his fundamental rights. He was told by the police to go visit the station and check with them once a week, and he would do that quietly as a mere formality.

Recently he had contracted the Coronavirus and was undergoing treatment at a local hospital. Due to low oxygen levels, his condition deteriorated gradually. Finally on Tuesday, after struggling with Corona infection, he breathed his last and left this mortal world. At his demise, his family members are devastated but also relieved realising that he had finally been released from his earthly trauma.

A resident of the Pangram Part II area of Udharbond, Ranjit Sen was a respected and eminent homoeopathic doctor. He has worked his whole life with utmost honesty and honour. But after all these years of selfless service, and then getting labelled as a foreigner and pushed into a detention camp, was perhaps too much to take for the veteran doctor. And this has gradually pushed him into giving up the will to fight anymore. Even on the day of his release, when asked by reporters, he refused to answer anything. But a look of eternal frustration was quite visible in his eyes.

Similarly, 104-year-old Chandradahar Das passed away without citizenship in December last year. Chandradahar’s last wish was to prove himself as an Indian citizen before leaving the world. However, after suffering in detention camps, he had to go through the torture of the Foreigners Tribunal for one more time. In almost every case, when a certain person fighting for his/her citizenship visits the court in due time given by the court, due to the absence of the prosecutor or some other issue, the date gets deferred. And every time they leave from the court with disappointment and utter frustration.

Social activist Kamal Chakraborty from Silchar has worked quite hard for the release of people detained in camps on bail. And for this, many people from different walks of life have stood by his side. Kamal Chakraborty thinks that the Foreigners’ Tribunal Court is completely useless. He said, “The government has set up a Foreigners’ Tribunal at a cost of crores of rupees, but not a single case has been settled there to date. People attend the court on time with their proper papers but there is no public prosecutor, or the officials didn’t have the confidence to see the papers. Which only increases the suffering of ordinary people. In the end, people like Chandradahar Das or Ranjit Sen leave this world. It is the failure of the government, the failure of the society and the failure of the whole system as well.”