A child who appeared in a photograph that went viral last year saluting the Indian flag in chest-deep flood water has been declared a foreigner and could be deported as part of a government drive to root out illegal immigrants.
Haider Ali Khan appeared in a photograph with his teacher and two others on 15 August last year, India’s 70th independence anniversary, showing the group saluting the Indian tricolour.
Their north-eastern Indian state, Assam, was severely flooded at the time and water reached to the chests of Khan and a student beside him.
The picture was broadcast across the media and widely shared online as an example of Indian resilience and pride.
One year later, Khan is fighting to prove he is Indian and avoid deportation to Bangladesh.
The nine-year-old is one of 4 million people in Assam whose names failed to appear in a draft list of citizens published on 30 June this year.
Every Assamese resident was asked to produce identity documents to be included in the list, which was the product of a four-decade-old campaign against illegal migrants in the state.
For more read the full of article at The Guardian
