Assam set to publish the final NRC, lakhs of people stare at uncertain future
Guwahati, Aug 30 (IBNS): With few hours left for the publication of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) list in Assam, lakhs of people are staring at an uncertain future.
Sahitya Akademi Award winner Durga Khatiwada and his family members are also fearing their exclusion from the final NRC.
Durga Khatiwada is among the 1,02,462 people whose names have been dropped from the draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
On June 26, the NRC authorities had published an additional draft exclusion list with the names of 1,02,462 people who had included in the draft NRC, but found ineligible for inclusion.
According to the family members of 60-year-old Durga Khatiwada’s name appeared in the last additional draft exclusion list of NRC as a Doubtful-voter (D-voter).
Fifty-nine-year-old Durga Khatiwada, president of the Assam Nepali Sahitya Sabha, won the Sahitya Akademi award in 2001 for a work of translation was marked as Doubtful-voter in 1993-94 and he was declared as an Indian citizen by the Foreigners’ Tribunal in 2015.
His name was included in the complete draft of NRC, which was published on July 30 last year.
But, Durga Khatiwada’s name was mentioned in the last additional draft exclusion list.
Durga Khatiwada’s daughter Barnali Devi said that, they don’t know the reason behind it as it comes again and again.
“In 1993-94, my father’s name included in the voter list as a D-voter. Following that, we had submitted all documents and my father was declared as an Indian citizen and his name was also appeared in the voter list as an India citizen. But in the last list, which was published on June 26, my father’s name again included as a Doubtful-voter. My father got Sahitya Akademi Award in 2001. Everyone knows him as a good writer. He is also the president of the Nepali Sahitya Sabha of Assam. Why it comes again and again as he is a Doubtful-voter. I don’ know why it comes again. It is our government’s responsibility,” Barnali Devi said.
Barnali Devi further said that, five persons in their family and only her mother’s name appeared in the first draft of NRC.
The complete draft of NRC, containing names of 28,983,677 out of 32,991,384 applicants, was published on July 30 last year.
Around 40.07 lakh people were left out from the complete draft of NRC.
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath, Guwahati)
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