The Hindu: Kolkata: Wednesday,
11 December 2024.
Days after asking Sabir
Ahamed recognised for his work towards promoting communal harmony in West
Bengal to prove his citizenship in response to his RTI application, the
Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital on Monday said that he had
“rightly pointed out that a mere declaration of citizenship is typically
sufficient” and that it would give him the necessary information.
The development comes against the backdrop of an uproar on social media over the issue.
Mr. Ahamed a researcher at the Amartya Sen-founded Pratichi Trust and the convener of Know Your Neighbour, an initiative aimed at promoting communal harmony had filed an RTI inquiry with the college on November 13, seeking details about the representation of disadvantaged communities at the institution.
The college replied: “… you have not declared in the said application that you are a citizen of India. Therefore, we are unable to answer your queries until you provide proof of your Indian citizenship.”
To Mr. Ahamed’s subsequent communication, in which he had shared a copy of his Aadhaar card, the college wrote back: “It is worthwhile to mention that according to the Citizenship Act, 1955, Aadhaar card is not the authentic proof of your Indian citizenship.”
Mr. Ahamed told The Hindu that he had filed over 2,500 RTI applications since the enactment of the RTI Act nearly two decades ago and that this was the first time an institution had asked him to provide proof of citizenship.
“This was obviously because of my name,” he said, adding that normally, no proof of citizenship needs to be submitted with an RTI application and that only in certain exceptional circumstances can the information officer ask for the proof if he or she has reason to believe that the applicant may not be an Indian national.
After the news of the medical college asking Mr. Ahamed to prove his citizenship began doing the rounds, the institution on Monday wrote to him, stating that it would provide him with the information and that “the reason for seeking such declaration was to ensure the earnestness of the application as it involves compiling large tracts of data and not to question the status of the applicant”.
Mr. Ahamed said he had filed over 70 RTI applications with various State departments and with various medical colleges, seeking information to understand the representation given to disadvantaged communities in various committees, commissions, and recruitment boards. “While some departments acknowledged the application to avoid penalties under the RTI Act, they largely passed the responsibility to ‘relevant offices’ without providing substantive responses,” he said.
The development comes against the backdrop of an uproar on social media over the issue.
Mr. Ahamed a researcher at the Amartya Sen-founded Pratichi Trust and the convener of Know Your Neighbour, an initiative aimed at promoting communal harmony had filed an RTI inquiry with the college on November 13, seeking details about the representation of disadvantaged communities at the institution.
The college replied: “… you have not declared in the said application that you are a citizen of India. Therefore, we are unable to answer your queries until you provide proof of your Indian citizenship.”
To Mr. Ahamed’s subsequent communication, in which he had shared a copy of his Aadhaar card, the college wrote back: “It is worthwhile to mention that according to the Citizenship Act, 1955, Aadhaar card is not the authentic proof of your Indian citizenship.”
Mr. Ahamed told The Hindu that he had filed over 2,500 RTI applications since the enactment of the RTI Act nearly two decades ago and that this was the first time an institution had asked him to provide proof of citizenship.
“This was obviously because of my name,” he said, adding that normally, no proof of citizenship needs to be submitted with an RTI application and that only in certain exceptional circumstances can the information officer ask for the proof if he or she has reason to believe that the applicant may not be an Indian national.
After the news of the medical college asking Mr. Ahamed to prove his citizenship began doing the rounds, the institution on Monday wrote to him, stating that it would provide him with the information and that “the reason for seeking such declaration was to ensure the earnestness of the application as it involves compiling large tracts of data and not to question the status of the applicant”.
Mr. Ahamed said he had filed over 70 RTI applications with various State departments and with various medical colleges, seeking information to understand the representation given to disadvantaged communities in various committees, commissions, and recruitment boards. “While some departments acknowledged the application to avoid penalties under the RTI Act, they largely passed the responsibility to ‘relevant offices’ without providing substantive responses,” he said.
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