NEW DELHI, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- A retired Indian Army officer has been asked by the authorities in the northeastern state of Assam to prove his Indian identity.
In fact, Assam police have registered a case at the Foreigners' Tribunal against Mohd Azmal Haque, who retired from the Indian Army last year as a junior commissioned officer after serving 30 years, for being "an illegal immigrant" from Bangladesh.
The next date of hearing at the tribunal is Oct. 13. "I will go to the tribunal on the 13th with my documents and lawyer," Haque, who lives in Chayyagaon barely 70 km from Assam's capital Guwahati, told the media.
But the retired Army man is very disappointed with the sudden developments. "I am very sad, I cried a lot. My soul is broken... After 30 years of service I have to face such insult. If I were an illegal Bangladeshi, how could I serve the Indian Army?" Haque said.
Assam shares a 262-km-long porous border with Bangladesh and illegal immigration from the neighboring country is a sensitive issue in the state. India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in Assam last year, promising to end illegal immigration by sealing the border.
