ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Delhi Muslims asked to prove nationality

Several Muslims owning property in Delhi have been receiving notices from the offices of the sub-divisional magistrates alleging that since their forefathers were Pakistani nationals they were now required to prove their bonafide Indian nationality, the Indian National League Delhi unit claimed on Sunday.

In a letter to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vijai Kapoor, the League said the notices did not bear any number nor did they indicate under which law they were issued.

The League said it was a matter of concern that millions of Muslim slumdwellers in Delhi were branded as Bangladesh nationals and now house owners were being alleged to be Pakistani nationals.

It wondered on what grounds allegations were being made that a specific property belonged to a certain Pakistani national. It asked if the enquiry was being initiated under civil or criminal procedure.

''It is worthy to point out that the administration of the Evacuee Property Act was repealed on May 7, 1954 and the Defence of India Act and its rules, which define that Pakistani nationals are 'enemies', are no longer in force.''

The League urged the lieutenant governor to make public the name of the investigating agency which had identified the properties belonging to 'Pakistani nationals'.

It also asked whether certified copies of voter list extracts, ration cards, death certificates and judicial records were sufficient evidence to prove the Indian nationality of Muslims in Delhi.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report