Four million excluded from citizenship in India's Assam, move sparks tension, protest

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."

Opposition attacks Centre:

Opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress which rules Assam's neighbouring state of West Bengal, have attacked the Centre over the issue of NRC.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday alleged that it is a "game plan" to throw out Bengalis and Biharis and render them as refugees in their own country.

Addressing the media before leaving for Delhi on a three-day visit, she said people even with Aadhar cards and passports are not in the complete NRC draft for Assam, published on Monday. " Is the Government trying to do forceful eviction ?" she asked.

"People are being isolated through a game plan. We are worried because people are being made refugees in their own country. Its a plan to throw out Bengali speaking people and Biharis. Consequences will be felt in our state also," Banerjee, who is also the supremo of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress, said.

She said she would personally take up the matter with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh while her party MPs would go to Assam to take first-hand stock of the situation.

"Where will the 40 lakh people whose names have been deleted go? Does the Centre have any rehabilitation programme for them? Ultimately it is Bengal which will suffer. Its just vote politics by BJP," Mamata said.

She requested the Union Home Minister to bring an amendment.

Parliament disrupted:

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the second time till 2 pm on Monday, as the Opposition kicked up an uproar over publication of Assam's National Register of Citizens (NRC). The NRC contains names of Indian citizens of Assam and it was first prepared in 1951, after 1951 Census of India.

When the Upper House resumed after the first adjournment at noon, members from Opposition parties especially Congress, TMC and Samajwadi Party demanded the issue to be discussed immediately.

But Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu did not allow them and adjourned the proceedings for the second time till 2 pm.

Assam CM responds:

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said people of his state have accepted the draft.

"While people have welcomed the draft #NRC, certain sections are trying to destabilise and spread lies. People of Assam have always lived with peace and harmony. We will not allow anyone to disturb peace and law & order," he tweeted.

What is National Register of Citizens (NRC)?

National Register of Citizens (NRC) means the register containing the names of Indian citizens. NRC updation basically means the process of enlisting the names of citizens based on Electoral Rolls upto 1971 and 1951 NRC.

What is NRC 1951?

National Register of Citizens, 1951 is a register prepared after the conduct of the Census of 1951, in respect of each village showing the houses or holdings in a serial order and indicating against each house or holding the number and names of persons staying therein. These registers covered each and every person enumerated during the Census of 1951 and were kept in the offices of Deputy Commissioners and Sub Divisional Officers according to instructions issued by the Government of India in 1951. Later these registers were transferred to the Police in the early 1960s.

What is National Register of Citizens (NRC) Updation?

National Register of Citizens (NRC) updation basically means the process of enlisting the names of those persons (or their descendants) whose names appear in any of the Electoral Rolls upto 1971, 1951 NRC or any of the admissible documents stipulated.