Family members of 65-year-old man hailing from Assam's Sonitpur district, who died in detention camp where he was lodged after his name did not figure in the National Register of Citizens (NRC), refused to take his body unless the government declares him as a citizen of India.
According to media reports, Dulal Chandra Paul, who was in the detention centre since October 11, 2017, was admitted to Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) due to "deteriorating health" on September 28. He died on Sunday.
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According to the nephew of the deceased, Paul was mentally unstable. He added that the siblings of Paul and their family members are in NRC. “Our family has land documents dating back to the 1960s. A mentally unstable person was put into detention,” Indian Express quoted him as saying.
According to an NDTV report, the family members of Paul said as the state declared him a foreigner, the body should be handed over to Bangladesh. They refused to accept his body until the government, in a statement, declares that Paul is an Indian citizen.
According to media reports, the state government sent a delegation to the relatives to convince them to accept his mortal remains.
