TCN News
The Final NRC (National Register of Citizens) list was published today and made available on the official site: http://nrcassam.nic.in/ and printed hard copies were kept in the seva kendras for the people to see.
And from 10.00 am onwards there were long queues at the NRC Seva Kendras (NSK) of anxious people whose fate depended on the list released on Sunday.
The NRC Process that had begun 4 years back ended today including 3,11,21,004 persons (3.11 crore) and left out 19,06,657 persons ( 19.06 lakh) in the citizenship list.
However any person who is not satisfied with the outcome can appeal before the Foreigners Tribunal (FT) within 120 days.
The State Coordinator, NRC, Assam, Prateek Hajela, IAS has issued a circular and also tweeted about the final list of NRC and asked those people not satisfied with the list can appeal to the tribunal.
The NRC process that began in 2015, May involving more than 52,000 State Government officials scrutinized the applications received by 3,30,27,661 members through 68,37,660 applications.
Draft lists were published in December 2017; another one in July 2018 and additional draft list was published in June 2019. And now the final NRC List has been published today 31st August 2019 which contains the names of the persons who are eligible to be the citizens and excludes the names of the people whose documents are incomplete.
While many leaders feel genuine citizens have been left out and that the NRC is not error free as claimed there are others who also feel that the NRC is not error free but for different reasons.
The students All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) that is a signatory to the Assam Accord, a 1985 document that provided for “detection, deletion and deportation” of illegal foreigners from Assam wants to move the Supreme Court because they are not satisfied with the number of persons excluded from the list.
The AASU that had spearheaded the agitation for 6 years for the NRC said that the government itself had admitted that there were more than 2 crore Bangladeshis in India and now the number of persons excluded do not match the claim of the Government.
Abdul Khaleque, Congress MP tweeted that many genuine citizens have been left out and requested the Government to review formation of Foreigners Tribunal.
Sanaullah, the war veteran who was declared foreigner and has moved the High Court, has yet again found himself and his family excluded in the NRC list. Mohammed Sanaullah had managed to get bail from the detention camp and was even called to the seva Kendra had hoped that his name would be included. He now awaits orders from the High Court at Gauhati.
The names of the family of India’s fifth president late Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed are also missing from the list.
Asaduddin Owaisi, MP and AIMIM Leader tweeted
The myth of the illegal migrant is dispelled with the #NRCFinalList. Will @AmitShah now explain how he came to know of 40 lakh ghusbethi? What of the fear mongering of some districts becoming Muslim majority?https://t.co/XGjRtVarMa
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) August 31, 2019
Many BJP leaders have also stated that the list is not a 100% Bangladeshi-free NRC list.
Speaking to the media ahead of the release of the final NRC list, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: “I have lost all hope in the NRC. I just want the day to pass off peacefully, without any incident. Delhi and the Assam government are discussing new ways to oust foreigners from the state. I don’t think this is the final list, there are many more to come.”
The congress party leaders say that even those people who had voted for the BJP have their names excluded in the final list and every section of Assam is unhappy.
Amnesty International also expressed deep concern saying ‘the destiny of over 19 lakh people is uncertain after the publication of the final list.’
BJP Leaders in Telangana state and Delhi have demanded for the NRC to be implemented in their respective states.
The NRC was first compiled in Assam in 1951 to list Indian Nationals living in the state. Later a decision to update the NRC was taken as per the directions of the Supreme Court in 2005 on the demand of the indigenous Assamese groups to assess the immigrants who entered Assam after 1971.
Persons whose names are included in the 1951 NRC list and their descendants and people whose names are included in the electoral rolls up to March 24, 1971 and their descendants; people who came to Assam after 1st Jan, 1966 and got themselves registered by March 25, 1971 are citizens of India and all others are declared ‘foreigners’.
Meanwhile those who are included now in the final list will be issued Aadhar Cards by the authorities.
The congress and others have offered to help genuine citizens who have been excluded.
Despite claims that there have not been any untoward incidents, a woman jumped in the well on just hearing rumours that her name is not in the list. People removed her from the well but she had died and later it was discovered that her name was in the list.
There are many families where half the members have been included in the list while the other half excluded causing more tension and worry.
19 lakh people now have to prove their citizenship in the given time of 120 days or face detention camps or be deported.
However the Assam government has declared that the people whose names have been excluded will not be sent to detention camps till the Foreigners Tribunal does not declare them as foreigners.