Guwahati: A retired army subedar was detained by the Assam Police Border branch after a Foreigners’ Tribunal (FT) declared him a foreigner.

Md. Sanaullah, hailing from Kalahikash village under Boko police station in Assam’s Kamrup district, retired as a subedar with the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) of Indian Army in August 2017. He had served in Jammu and Kashmir and some parts in the North Eastern region also.

However, the Kargil war veteran was declared as a foreigner by the Foreigners’ Tribunal No 2 Kamrup (Rural) on May 23. Moreover, following the tribunal order, the border branch of Assam Police detained him and sent him to a detention camp.

At present, Sanaullah works as a sub-inspector with Assam Police’s border branch.

The Foreigners’ Tribunal had served notice to Sanaullah on September 4 last year and declared him a foreigner last Tuesday. 

According to the reports, a case was registered in the Foreigners’ Tribunal, Kamrup, in 2008.

Sanaullah and his wife Sadbhanu Bibi, daughters Sehnaj Akhtar, Helmina Akhtar and his son Sahit Ali’s name were missing in the complete draft of NRC published last year.

“Md Sanaullah is my brother. He served the Indian army for 30 years. He was served as an honorary captain and served in various areas like Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Pakistan bordering areas and sacrificed for the nation. He retired in 2017 and working as an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) in Assam police Border branch in the past six months. Yesterday, the North Guwahati police had asked him to appear before the police station and when he reached the police station, the police arrested him,” a relative of Sanaullah said.

There are 100 Foreigners’ Tribunal now in functioning in Assam to detect illegal foreigners.