GUWAHATI: Claiming that 80 lakh illegal immigrants, including “jihadis”, had managed to make it to the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC), an Assam NGO has urged the Supreme Court to order 100 per cent re-verification of the entire NRC process and a probe by a judicial commission.
In an affidavit, the Assam Public Works (APW), which had first moved the SC seeking the updation of the NRC of 1951, also sought a probe by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA) or Enforcement Directorate (ED) into alleged misappropriation of NRC funds.
“…We have prayed before the Supreme Court to go for 100 per cent re-verification of the entire NRC process. We have also prayed for a proper investigation by a Judicial Committee to find the discrepancies in the NRC updation. We said an agency like CBI, NIA or ED be allowed to do the needful investigations to find the misappropriation of various segments of the process,” the APW said.
It named four alleged “jihadis” stating that they became genuine Indian citizens by virtue of the NRC.
“There are many empty agricultural lands being transformed overnight into populated villages especially in Barkhetri assembly constituency of Nalbari district in lower Assam. The situation is getting worse as time passes by as the district authority hasn’t been able to take the required steps to control the sudden rush,” the APW said.
It claimed that in Sipajhar area of northern Assam, 182 bighas of agricultural land had been converted into villages. The APW blamed the NRC for the phenomenon.
The Supreme Court had monitored the entire NRC process. The final list, published on August 31 last year, saw over 19 lakh of the 3.30 crore applicants being left out. The process to file claims in various foreigners’ tribunals by those left out is yet to begin.