GUWAHATI: Over 40 lakh people were left out of the "complete draft" of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), published by the Assam government on Monday.
But was it full-proof? One can blame the non-submission of proper or relevant documents for the omission of names of many genuine Indian citizens, including people belonging to indigenous communities. However, what baffled many was the inclusion of names of declared foreigners.
The authorities in central Assam's Morigaon district have started the legwork to delete the names of some 200 people, who are either declared foreigners or have cases pending in various Foreigners' Tribunals. The tribunals deal with the cases of people with suspected nationality.
"These people are from 39 families with a population of roughly around 200. They are scattered across Morigaon district. Some of them are declared foreigners while some others are suspected illegal immigrants. There are also some whose cases are pending in the Foreigners' Tribunals," Morigaon deputy commissioner (district magistrate) Hemen Das told TNIE.
"We have a system in place that detected the inclusion of their names in draft NRC. The detection was not based on any complaint. We are dealing with their cases on priority so that people don't lose their faith in the system. We will delete their names from the list suo motu," Das said. He, however, neither revealed their communities nor the names of their villages for security reasons.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that the name of former Assam Chief Minister Syeda Anwara Taimur was not included in draft NRC. She could not be contacted for confirmation as she was away in Australia. Several prominent personalities including MLAs, former MLAs, leaders of political parties besides relatives of former President of India Fakruddin Ali Ahmed, politicians, freedom fighters and soldiers also could not make it to the list.
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