Guwahati, May 30: Kargil war veteran Lt. (retd.) Mohammed Sanaullah on Tuesday was sent to a detention centre for foreigners or illegal migrants. Under National Register of Citizens (NRC). After Lt. Sanaullah’s family then approached Guahati high court on May 29 against his detention. Mohammed Sanaullah, retired as an honorary Lieutenant in the Army. Assam NRC: Don't Cut Short Process to Meet Deadline, Supreme Court Tells Coordinator After Retired Soldier Declared Foreigner.

According to reports, he was arrested soon after he was summoned by the Assam Police Border Organisation, or the Border Police, in Guwahati on May 28. He was arrested as per the order of a Foreigners’ Tribunal. The tribunal declared Lt Sanaullah as not an Indian citizen. The 52-year old former Army officer was serving as an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) in the Border Police. His task was to identify, detain and deport illegal migrants.

On Thursday, the Congress hit out at the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for detaining the Kargil war veteran. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted, “Shocking!! BJP Govt has labelled the 'Foreigner' tag to a Kargil War Hero! It is an insult to the sacrifice of our brave Armed Forces. This speaks volumes about the high handedness and flawed manner in which the NRC exercise is being implemented in Assam.” Kargil War Veteran Mohammad Sanaullah Declared Foreigner: Congress Slams BJP Govt, Says Insult to Sacrifice of Forces.

Earlier in the day, in an apparent reference to Sanaullah’s case, the Supreme Court asked the NRC Coordinator not to cut short the process and ensure fair hearing to those who have challenged the non-inclusion of their names in the National Register of Citizen (NRC) in Assam. The apex court asked NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela not to rush through the process in an attempt to meet the deadline of July 31.

The draft Assam NRC was published on July 30, 2018, in which the names of 2.89 crore of the 3.29 crore people were included. The names of 40,70,707 people did not figure in the list. Of these, 37,59,630 names have been rejected and the remaining 2,48,077 are on hold.

(With inputs from PTI)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 30, 2019 10:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).