NRC : Assam CM appeals all sections of society to maintain peace and tranquillity

Talking with media in Guwahati, the Assam CM said that both state and central government have extended full cooperation in this matter.

“The updation process of NRC has come as the final draft of NRC published. I hope that, further process will be successfully completed with active participation of the people of Assam. I appeal everybody to maintain peace and tranquillity. The people of Assam had already established the facts that, they have sufficient political maturity. The complete draft of NRC has published peacefully and successfully because of the people of Assam. I again appeal all section of society that, it is a very important responsibility for everybody and near future I hope that, everyone will extend their cooperation. I am confident that, all sections of society will come forward to maintain peace and tranquillity for all time to come. We are always abide by the direction of the Supreme Court and whatever the Supreme Court passed direction to us, we sincerely follow and observe it,” Sonowal said.

Sparking fears of deportation and a law and order crisis, India on Monday announced exclusion of about four million people from citizenship in the northeastern state of Assam, bordering Bangladesh, after a draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published.

Those excluded from the list could not prove their citizenship by providing valid documents and they are mostly Muslim immigrants who came to Assam before 1971, when countless fled Bangladesh during its freedom war.

Assam had witnessed a massacre in 1983 claiming the lives of 2,191 people officially over the "foreign nationals" issue as local groups demanded deletion of illegal migrants from the electoral rolls.

Assam published its updated draft of National Register of Citizens in which the names of 2,89,83,677 people out of the 3,29,91,384 applicants figured, leaving a staggering 40,07,707 out of the list.

While the opposition went ballistic over the draft, India's Registrar General Shailesh said of the 30 million people who had applied to be included on the list,  just over four million were excluded from the draft published on Monday.

“No genuine Indian citizens need to worry as there will be ample opportunities given to them to enlist their names in the final NRC,” he told media persons in  Guwahati.

However, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Indian government which is also in power in Assam now, sought to dispel the fear of deportation,  saying that this is only a draft and those dropped out of the list need not be panicked as they have the options for putting forward their objection and defend themselves as Indian citizens.

"Some people are unnecessarily trying to create an atmosphere of fear... This is a draft and not the final list," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said even as India's Parliament witnessed adjournment over the issue.

Singh said: " I want to clarify that even after the Final NRC, every person will get an opportunity to approach the Foreigners Tribunal."

"This means that even those whose names do not figure in the Final NRC will get an opportunity to approach the Tribunal. There is no question of any coercive action against anyone," he said.

The list was updated for the first time since 1951. The NRC was updated with the aim of accounting illegal migration from neighbouring Bangladesh.

The part draft, published on Dec 31 last year, had the names of 1.9 crore people.

The register counts only those people as citizens of Assam who can prove that they have been staying in the Indian state on or before March 21, 1971.

The official website of the NRC said: "The NRC will be now updated to include the names of those persons (or their descendants) who appear in the NRC, 1951, or in any of the Electoral Rolls up to the midnight of 24th March, 1971 or in any one of the other admissible documents issued upto mid-night of 24th March, 1971, which would prove their presence in Assam or in any part of India on or before 24th March, 1971. All the names appearing in the NRC, 1951, or any of the Electoral Rolls up to the midnight of 24th March, 1971 together are called Legacy Data."

(By Hemanta Kumar Nath, Guwahati)