Detention camp in Silchar becomes empty; "Not blaming anyone," says Manindra Das after getting released on bail

For the first time, the Barak Valley Detention Camp is free of D-voters. Manindra Das, the last prisoner in the Silchar detention camp, was released on Saturday. However, despite being released from the detention camps, the Indian citizens who got the D-voter label are still not released from the torment of the tribunal court and the police station. After the lockdown was imposed last year, D-voters who have been imprisoned for two years have been released on bail following a Supreme Court order. About 48 people have been released so far. Of them, 16 are residents of the Dima Hasao district and the rest are residents of the three districts of the Barak Valley.

After being released, 67-year-old Manindra Das said, “It is indeed disgraceful to be jailed for wearing a foreigner’s badge even after becoming an Indian citizen. But I don’t want to blame anyone for that. I have served as an Indian citizen all my life. Witnessed many governments forming and voted every single time. Suddenly the police caught and detained me and I was sentenced to two years in prison. Maybe that’s what was supposed to happen, but I don’t want to blame anyone. I just want to go home and live like an ordinary citizen.”

In 2015, the Foreigners Tribunal sent two consecutive notices against Manindra Das. His trial lasted a long excruciating time, and his lawyer died in the midway. Neither Manindra nor his family was educated enough to do anything on their own, so he could not appear in court. The court had declared him a foreigner in a unilateral verdict and was arrested on May 8, 2019. This time, after the completion of his two-year term, the search for a bailiff began. And he was finally released with the help of social worker Kamal Chakraborty.

Kamal Chakraborty has previously worked tirelessly to find bail for about 45 people. He said, “Earlier the rules were a bit different, one could apply for bail after serving a minimum of three years in jail after being arrested. Two bailiffs were required and one lakh rupees had to be paid. Those who suffer in the name of this D-voter tag, come from extremely poor families. Last year, the Supreme Court had directed that the rules be simplified. One bailiff would suffice and he/she has to pay five thousand rupees only. Thus, many have been released one by one and each has its own story. But they aren’t completely free yet even after being released on bail, as they still have to go visit the tribunal court. People like Chandradhar Das have left this world without getting the chance to prove his citizenship which has pointed out our failure as a society. However, when someone comes out of jail and meets his/her family, it is a pleasure to witness that moment. Some people laugh happily and some people break down in tears. And these words of common people do not reach the ears of the people’s representatives. However, many individuals in society have come forward to help them. From drama artists to the police, many have become bailiffs. Even Dilip Kumar Paul, former MLA from Silchar, became the guarantor of Seema Bardhan. Many of them have had to pay for this work, but they have shown courage nevertheless.”

Further adding, he said, “Rather than wasting crores of money by setting up this Foreigners Tribunal, this money could’ve been used to improve the healthcare system. No case has been settled in the tribunal to date. And many are still getting notices even after winning their cases. Lawyers provided by the government stay mostly absent and the general public has to come back by knowing the next date. When they fail to resolve these cases, why spend so much money to keep them? Even if the court declares someone as a Bangladeshi citizen, Bangladesh will not accept him/her, everyone knows that.”

Satyendra Baishya, in charge of the Silchar Central Jail, said that there is no one left now in the detention camp inside the jail sent by the Tribunal. No one has been sent here since 2019 on behalf of the Foreigners Tribunal. There are still some people left who are citizens of Bangladesh, Myanmar, or other countries. They entered India illegally without any permission and were detained for criminal activities. Many of them have been sent back one by one. There are still some people left here who will be sent back when their time comes. Last year, many of them were infected with the coronavirus, but this time it did not happen.