West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the Assam government’s Foreigners’ Tribunal had overstepped its jurisdiction by issuing a notice to a resident of West Bengal, effectively branding him an illegal immigrant. Calling it a “systematic assault on democracy”, Banerjee accused the BJP of attempting to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in West Bengal through unconstitutional means.
Assam tribunal sends NRC notice to Bengal farmer
The controversy erupted after Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a Rajbanshi farmer from Dinhata in Cooch Behar district, reportedly received a notice from a Foreigners’ Tribunal in Assam declaring him a suspected illegal migrant. Brajabasi, who claims he has lived in Cooch Behar for over 50 years and possesses valid identity documents, said he was shocked by the notice and had never even stepped out of his hometown.
The issuance of the notice has sparked widespread outrage in Bengal and renewed fears of a covert NRC exercise extending beyond Assam.
What Mamata Banerjee said?
In a strongly worded post on X (formerly Twitter), Mamata Banerjee expressed her “shock and deep disturbance” over the notice. She accused the BJP of using administrative tools to instill fear and marginalise vulnerable communities.
“This is nothing short of a systematic assault on democracy,” Banerjee wrote. “It is proof that the ruling BJP dispensation in Assam is attempting to implement NRC in Bengal, where it holds no power or jurisdiction. A premeditated attempt is being made to intimidate, disenfranchise, and target marginalised communities.”
She described the incident as an “unconstitutional overreach” and claimed it exposed the BJP’s “dangerous agenda” of bulldozing democratic safeguards and erasing the identity of Bengal’s people.
I am shocked and deeply disturbed to learn that the Foreigners Tribunal in Assam has issued an NRC notice to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a Rajbanshi, resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar for over 50 years. Despite furnishing valid identity documents, he is being harassed on suspicion of…
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) July 8, 2025
Banerjee urges Opposition parties to unite
Banerjee used the moment to call for a united opposition front, warning that such actions by the BJP threaten the constitutional fabric of the country.
“This alarming situation calls for urgent unity among all Opposition parties to stand up against BJP’s divisive and oppressive machinery,” she said. “Bengal will not stand by as the constitutional fabric of India is torn apart.”
What did the BJP say?
Reacting to the outrage, the West Bengal unit of the BJP defended the notice, claiming that irregular documentation in Bengal was to blame. Party leaders alleged that several illegal immigrants from Bangladesh had obtained forged Indian documents and were being passed off as citizens.
The party denied that it was attempting to implement NRC in Bengal and instead criticised the Trinamool Congress government for failing to maintain proper verification systems.