The Indian Army has said that cannot do much to help Mohammed Sanaullah, a retired junior commissioned officer, who was declared a 'foreigner' by the Foreigners Tribunal, Kamrup in Assam.

Sanaullah, a Kargil war veteran who served the country for 30 years, was apprehended on Wednesday and sent to a detention camp in after a foreigners' tribunal declared him a 'foreigner'. A retired junior commissioned officer, Sanaullah had won a President's medal and was now serving as assistant sub-inspector (ASI) in border police.

Sanaullah, a resident of Kolohikash village under Boko police station in Kamrup district, was declared a 'foreigner' by the Foreigners Tribunal, Kamrup.

Reacting to his detention, the Army said it has a “big heart” for the former JCO but can’t do much to help him at this point of time, a report in The Hindu said. “We called his wife Samina Begum to our cantonment on Thursday to console her and assure her of our help whenever the need arises,” the report quoted an Army officer said who spoke on the condition of anonymity. 

“Our officers tried to share the grief of an Army veteran’s wife,” the officer said adding that there is very little the Army can do at this juncture as it is now a legal case. 

Meanwhile, Assam's Directorate of Sainik Welfare (DSW) wrote to the Kendriya Sainik Board on Friday and said that it has guided the former army man to approach the Gauhati High Court against the tribunal order.

In the letter to the Kendriya Sainik Board, the DSW said the NRC tribunal that declared a former army officer a "foreigner" did not take into account" his service documents and had it done that, there would have been no confusion on his nationality.

DSW Director Brig (retd) Joshi Narain Dutt Ganesh Dutt informed the Board in Delhi that Sanaullah was contacted by DSW at Guwahati (North) police station to ascertain the details of the case against him. Sanaullah shared facts that led to his being graded a foreigner by the tribunal.

Dutt said Sanaullah cited multiple reasons that may have mistakenly led the tribunal to declare him a foreigner and lodge him in a detention centre at Goalpara.

Dutt cited the DSW officials' interaction with Sanaullah in the letter.

"While the foreign tribunal held the hearing, it was found that the year of birth of the individual is 1967 and as per documents his enrolment year is 1987. However, during initial NRC verification it is recorded that the year of enrolment of the ESM (ex-serviceman) is 1978. The tribunal is of the view that how it is possible that the ESM enrolled in the army at the age of 12 years in the year 1978 and it has been viewed seriously against him for giving false information possibility to conceal identity/facts," read Dutt's letter to the Sainik Board .

Sanaullah's voter ID card, issued to him in 1987, showed his age as 22 years, whereas that year he was only 20. The tribunal viewed it as wrong information was submitted by the former army man, the letter stated.

Additionally, Sanaullah said the tribunal "did not take into account any of his service documents" and had it done that all confusion would have been avoided, the director said in the letter.

Dutt said it may be noted that his brothers and their family members have been cleared by the NRC.

"It appears that there is confusion on his identity and also the record held with the NRC," he wrote in the letter.

The DSW guided the individual to approach the Gauhati High Court against the tribunal order, Dutt said.

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the NRC state coordinator to ensure that fair procedure is adopted in dealing with the claims and objections on inclusion of citizens in the draft NRC. 

A case was registered in 2008 after Sanaullah's name was listed as a 'D' (doubtful) voter in the voters list, according to Kamrup district Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjib Saikia.

After the verdict of the tribunal, Saikia said police according to laid down procedure, picked up Sanaullah and took him to the detention camp in Goalpara district to be lodged there.

Before proceeding to the camp on Wednesday, Sanaullah told waiting journalists that he is an Indian citizen and has all the necessary documents of his citizenship.

He said he served the country's interests for 30 years (1987-2017), joining the force as an official of Electronic and Mechanical Engineering department and was also awarded with President's Medal in 2014.

(With PTI inputs)