Ajit Das, Aamraghaat, Cachar District, Assam - 2018
Detention Timeline Case Study #4 [written in Bangla by Kamal Chakraborty, translated into English by Riya]
I came across the case of Ajit Das was when I saw a Facebook post by BBC World about a woman named Juthika Das. The post mentioned, Juthika is married to Ajit Das and lives in Aamraghaat with her two small children. One of the children, her four-year-old daughter Jiya Das is autistic; their regular visits to doctors takes a toll on their lives financially. The post mentioned that Juthika's husband Ajit Das is in the Silchar detention camp. Once I found out about the case of Ajit Das, I needed the family's phone number to take the matter forward.
After figuring out their number, I called to find a boy on the other end. When I asked who their lawyer was, he couldn't answer. We decided to meet up at the court the next day when he took me to meet their lawyer.
Once I met their lawyer, it gave me a sense of relief to know that the advocate is none other than Rezamand Ali Barbhuiyan, a staunch activist and member of the CPM1 party. He mentioned that he had gotten this case very recently. The case has been moving from one lawyer to the other for days now. We had a long conversation where he also explained the issues of this case to me in great detail and the problem with the grounds of getting bail. I made a proposal to him at the end. I said, "Can we as UCDF2, appeal to the District Commissioner for the release of Ajit Das from the detention camp citing his daughter's condition and how his presence is crucial for the family and her well-being as grounds for bail?" He agreed to my proposal and took all the responsibility of preparing the paperwork and managing the documents. He made sure to file everything immediately, and because of that, the very next day (August 21, 2018), Ajit Das was released from the detention camp on bail.
I was touched by Rezamand Ali's kind demeanour and how he handled the case; I visited Rezamand to thank him again the very next day. We discussed a few cases of other people who were stuck in detention camps.
At present, the case to prove the citizenship of Ajit Das goes on in the court, shrouded in uncertainty. We don't know what tomorrow holds, what awaits Ajit Das and his family. When I met Ajit and asked how he pays for his daughter's medical expenses, Ajit said, "I have a Pan-Shop3. My daughter has difficulty walking; her speech isn't clear; it is difficult even to eat. It is difficult for me to run the family on what I earn. On top of that, there are medical expenses for my four-year-old girl." Despite such difficulty, his love for the daughter is unwavering. He says this with confidence, "If needed, I will die and pay for my daughter's health with my life."
Ajit's love for his daughter reminds me of the quote from the poet Sankha Ghosh that goes:
'Destroy me if you want,
let my children dream...’4
[ This is the Fourth Case study from the book আসামে নাগরিকত্ব হরণের দহনলিপি // Transliteration: Assam-e Nagorikottwo Horoner Dohonlipi by Kamal Chakraborty. The book was first published in February 2021 by Kotha Bikolpo Pariwar, Silchar, Assam. To know more about the book and this translation project click here. If you want to order this original book in Bangla, you can get it from the People's Book Society, College Street in Kolkata. Contact Number: 03322199256 ]
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Unconditional Citizenship Demand Forum
A shop or stall selling Pan/Beetle Leaf and Cigarettes
Original Quote in Bangla: ‘ধ্বংস করে দাও আমাকে যদি চাও, আমার সন্ততি স্বপ্নে থাক...'