Assam, Nov 21: A 65-year-old “suspected illegal immigrant”Sukdev Ree of Assam’s Hailakandi district died on Friday evening due to a cardiac arrest. His last wish was to prove his Indian identity which remained unfulfilled.

Sukdev Ree was a resident of the Mohanpur village under Algapur assembly constituency in Hailakandi district. He was released from the detention camp on February 26 last year after spending more than 3 years their based on a supreme court’s advisory to release the inmates who have served imprisonment of two years or more.

A daily wage tea gardener, Ree used to earn ₹110 per day whenever there was production going on in the tea estate. A case was registered against him in 2012 and he appeared before the court a few times before his arrest on June 24, 2016. Amit Shah Addresses NEDA Meet, Says 'Not Just Assam, Illegal Immigrants Should Be Expelled from Entire India'

Tribunal Court declared Sukdev Ree a foreigner of post 25.03.1971 stream in an ex-parte judgement because he did not appear at the time of cross-examination on several occasions. The court said, “The petitioner failed to discharge the burden cast upon him under Section 9 of the Foreigners Act, 1946.”

Recently, this order was challenged by Ree’s lawyer in Gauhati High Court. Justice Kotiswar Singh and justice Malashri Nandi after hearing a petition to reopen Sukdev Ree’s case on November 3 found that Ree deserved another chance to produce his documents.

The HC, to the tribunal wrote that Ree had submitted documents, including voter lists of 1966 and 1970, in which the name of his father were present, and subsequent voter lists of 1977 and 2005 where the name of the petitioner appeared". As per judges, that was "sufficient evidence". The HC then directed the tribunal to hear the case on December 3.

Sukdev Ree’s wife Sishubala expressed that at one point, her husband refused to appear before the court due to the harrasment by the lawyers. Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani Demands Withdrawal of Citizenship Amendment Act After Decision to Repeal Farm Laws

Sukdev Ree fell unconscious on Friday afternoon and was taken to a local government hospital. After an initial medical checkup, he was sent back home. In the evening around 6:30 pm his health deteriorated and family members called a local doctor. The doctor visited his house and declared him dead.

In a similar incident in December last year, 104-year-old Chandradhar Das died with a similar unfulfilled wish.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 21, 2021 04:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).