Names of over 40 lakh people do not figure in Assam NRC

GUWAHATI: The names of over 40 lakh people did not figure in the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) the complete draft of which was published in Assam on Monday.

Publishing the document, Register General of India, Shailesh, gave an overall figure. He said out of the 3,29,91,384 applicants, the names of 2,89,83,677 people had figured in the draft. The deficit was of 40,07,707.

The part draft, published on December 31 last year, had the names of 1.9 crore people. Later, the cases of 1.5 lakh people, whose names had figured in it, were kept in abeyance. The citizenship fate of 1.39 crore applicants was to be decided in the complete draft. However, Sailesh and NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela refused to give figures of the complete draft. 

40 lakh names ineligible is a very high figure and very surprising. There are lot of irregularities in the report. We will raise this issue with the Govt and in the Parliament. Political motive of BJP is also behind this: Ripun Bora,Assam Congress Chief on #NRCAssam draft pic.twitter.com/nwFdZ7GqWI

— ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2018

“People, whose names have not figured in NRC, need not worry. Neither they will be branded foreigners nor will punitive action be taken against them. They will get an opportunity to file claims and objections. The names of no genuine Indians will be left out,” Sailesh said.

He added: “We will maintain status quo as regards the fate of those whose names have not figured in NRC till the final draft is published”.

Even someone whose name is not in the final list can approach the foreigners tribunal. No coercive action will be taken against anyone, hence there is no need for anyone to panic: Home Minister Rajnath Singh #NRCAssam pic.twitter.com/FID1naBChb

— ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2018

Meanwhile, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC have remained in force in several districts.

The orders were enforced following the apprehension of a law and order problem. The Centre dispatched 220 additional companies of central paramilitary forces to the state.

So far, there has not been any report of untoward incidents anywhere in the state.

The state yesterday also deported 52 Bangladeshi illegal immigrants through South Salmara-Mancachar district.

“All of them were declared foreigners. They had entered illegally and were arrested from different parts of the state,” South Salmara-Mancachar Superintendent of Police Amrit Bhuyan told TNIE.

They were sent back after the Guwahati-based office of the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh issued them travel permits.

Prohibitory orders were enforced for an indefinite period in Barpeta, Darrang, Sonitpur, Dima Hasao, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Karimganj and Golaghat districts. As many as 22 localities in Guwahati are sensitive, said Police Commissioner Hiren Nath yesterday.

The updation of NRC has been in deference to the Assam Accord of 1985 which the then Rajiv Gandhi government had signed with the All Assam Students’ Union at the end of six-year bloody Assam Agitation.

As per the exercise, which is being directly monitored by the Supreme Court, people, who entered Assam after March 24, 1971, will be viewed as illegal immigrants. However, they will get a window of 30 days to file claims and objections. Eventually, the final NRC will be published.