Indian minister Pramanik not Bangladeshi citizen, says extended family in Gaibandha

To quell the growing debate surrounding Indian parliament's youngest cabinet member Nisith Kumar Pramanik's citizenship, a visit was paid to his ancestral home in Gaibandha where his family alleviated concerns and reiterated that he is in fact Indian.

Indian parliament members and leaders of opposition have recently said 35-year-old Pramanik, who took oath earlier this month, is from Bangladesh and not an Indian citizen.

Dakhinaranjan Pramanik and Sanjit Pramanik in front of their house in Gaibandha on July 14. Photo: Mostafa Shabuj

The news of Pramanik being inducted as minister spread among Bangladeshis, who took a keen interest in the matter. This is because Pramanik is of Bangladeshi descent and his ancestral home is in Velakopa village of Harinathpur union in Gaibandha's Palashbari upazila.

After Pramanik was sworn in, people at his grandfather's village Velakopa celebrated by distributing sweets. The village now introduces itself as home of the Indian minister of home affairs.

Pramanik took oath as Union Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Minister of State, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports from West Bengal. Various Indian media outlets including NDTV also fuelled the debate on his citizenship but his family members have maintained that he is an Indian citizen by birth.

On July 14, this reporter visited Velakopa village and talked to his Bangladeshi family members, villagers and local political leaders.

Locals and his relatives said Bidhu Bhushan Pramanik, the minister's father, left Bangladesh in 1968 and joined his maternal uncle's family who migrated from Bogura and Gaibandha districts before the partition. Three of Bidhu Bhushan's brothers have been living in Velakopa village for a long time.  

Pramanik's uncle Dakhinaranjan Pramanik (69), told The Daily Star that Bidhu Bhushan left the country in 1968 and settled permanently at their uncle's house at Dinhata Mahkuma under the Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, where he started a stock business of various crops.  Pramanik was born in 1986 at Dinhata and is an Indian citizen, Dakhinaranjan said.

Md Ziaur Rahman, a UP member of Harinathpur union's number-8 ward, told The Daily Star that Pramanik's father started living permanently in Cooch Behar two to three years before Bangladesh's independence and Pramanik was born there. He frequently comes to Bangladesh to visit his uncles but is not a Bangladeshi citizen, the UP member added.

"We did not give any birth or citizen certificates to Pramanik or his father. Pramanik's mother is also an Indian citizen by birth, as far as we know," the UP member said.  

According to family sources, Pramanik's grandfather Manohar Pramanik was a farmer in Velakopa village and died in the village in the 1970s. Two of Pramanik's uncles including Dakhinaranjan are also involved in AL politics in the union parishad area.

Sanjit Pramanik, Pramanik's eldest cousin, told The Daily Star that Pramanik visited Velakopa village three times in 2017 and stayed at their house for a week the last time but has not visit the village since.

Sanjit also heard about the controversy about Pramanik's citizenship but says he is not bothered by it. He says Pramanik is a citizen of India and has all documents. "There is nothing linking even his father to Bangladesh other than us," Sanjit added.  

"Regarding Pramanik's political career, Sanjit said, "Pramanik was very talented from an early age. He started Trinamool [Congress] politics from his student life. He studied in Shiliguri. After completing his graduation, he took up a job as a government primary school teacher but at one point he quit his job and became active in Mamata's Trinamool Congress."

"We are in constant touch with Pramanik's father. We go to Cooch Behar regularly and Pramanik's father also comes to this village frequently. This time it was not possible due to the pandemic," Dakhinaranjan said.

"After being elected as a Member of Lok Sabha, Pramanik raised a demand in the first session for launching All-India Rail Service from Rangpur district of Bangladesh. Since Pramanik's ancestral house is located in Bangladesh, the relationship of the two neighbouring countries will be better," hopes Dakkhinaranjan.

Ripun Bora, head of the Assam State Congress, wrote a letter on Saturday to Indian PM Narendra Modi saying Pramanik is a Bangladeshi citizen and urged him to run an investigation about his birthplace and nationality.

Leaders of the Trinamool congress, who knew Pramanik quite well, also added to the debate, according to media reports.