GUWAHATI: After years of relative stability and a push towards economic development, the Northeast is once again in the throes of insecurity and anxiety — the reason being the updation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.
Over the past few months, Assam has been restive due to the exercise and different voices have expressed different concerns regarding the NRC.
The NRC is being updated under the direct monitoring of the Supreme Court to detect the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. As per the exercise, those who entered Assam after March 24, 1971, will be termed as illegal immigrants. The final draft will be published on Monday. People whose names will not figure in the draft will get a 30-day window to file claims and objections.
Ironically, the entire exercise is being carried out without any guarantee that the Government of Bangladesh will accept any Bangladeshi immigrants.
There is palpable fear among a section of applicants over possible harassment in case their names are not included in the document. “Back in the 1950s or 1960s, who on earth knew they will require pre-1971 official documents 50 years later in 2018 to be able to stay in the country? I am sure the names of thousands of people will not be included in NRC despite their stay in the country from before March 24, 1971,” an NRC applicant said.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued several statements over the past few days to allay people’s fear. But people remain sceptical.
If people are worried about whether or not their names will figure in the final NRC draft, the Sarbananda Sonowal government is fretting over possible violence in the wake of the document’s publication. On the Assam government’s request, the Centre had dispatched 50 additional companies of central paramilitary forces to the state. According to official sources, over 100 more companies will be in the state by the time the NRC complete draft is published.
Assam’s Director General of Police, Kuladhar Saikia, said: “We have taken all steps. The sectoral deployment of the forces is already in order. As people are supporting the process of NRC update, we are expecting a peaceful atmosphere post-publication of the complete draft. But if anyone is found trying to break the law, we will go very hard against him. We are ready to deal with any eventualities.”
The Army has also been asked to keep on a standby. Though the Army has not yet shifted its columns, it would do so if requisitioned. A senior Army official told The Sunday Standard that the forces perceived trouble in some areas of Lower and Central Assam districts.
“There could be two kinds of troubles. First, we are anticipating agitations against the civil administration. There is a possibility that NRC Seva Kendras will be targeted. We fear these incidents will take place in minority-majority areas, but they will not have any communal dynamics. Secondly, there could be riots between two communities,” the official said.
Publication of the NRC draft is creating ripples in some neighbouring states, too. At least four states —Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh — are closely monitoring the exercise as they feel they could be affected. Their worries are mainly over the possible influx of people whose names would not figure in the document.
The Nagaland government has instructed state police to deploy additional forces in border areas to prevent the influx of immigrants. “Additional India Reserve Battalion units are being deployed and flying squads will also be sent. The government is writing to village authorities to be vigilant and not allow illegal immigrants to enter. Instructions have also been issued to district authorities,” said an official.
The Naga Students’ Federation has urged house owners not to rent out rooms to the immigrants.
In Arunachal, Meghalaya and Manipur, too, police in all districts sharing border with Assam have been directed to be on guard to prevent the possible influx of the immigrants. “We started taking precautionary measures to check any infiltration of anti-national elements,” said a senior police officer in Meghalaya.