GUWAHATI, May 13 - The All Assam Students� Union (AASU) today demanded a detailed probe to trace the persons responsible for leaking out the names and addresses of those who filed objections on the draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The students� body also demanded that the Government should take strong action against those who are trying to give a communal colour to the process of updating the NRC.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, AASU chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya said that members of the students� body received threats from unscrupulous elements in different parts of the State for filing objections on the draft of the NRC. He said that in some cases, family members of the AASU were also threatened with dire consequences. Such incidents proved beyond doubt that some persons engaged in the NRC update work leaked out the names and phone numbers of those who filed objections. The NRC authorities and the Government should conduct a detailed probe to find out the persons responsible for leaking out the names of the objectors and strict action should be taken against such persons, he demanded.
Bhattacharya said that the process of updating the NRC is going on under the supervision of the Supreme Court and it is a fact that names of some indigenous people, people from other states of the country and those who came before the midnight of March 24, 1971 were not included in the draft of the NRC. He said that the AASU and 30 organizations representing ethnic groups of the State had helped such persons to file claims. He also said that the AASU had also helped in filing objections and every indigenous people should take the issue of filing of objections in a positive way in the interest of preparation of a correct NRC.
The AASU chief adviser pointed out that certain people with vested interest were trying to create confusion in the society and there have also been efforts to give a communal colour to the issue of updating the NRC. �The aim of preparing the NRC is to determine who is an Indian citizen and who is not. There is no question of religion of any person. The Government should take strict action against those who are spreading rumours through social media and other forum to create disturbance in the society,� he demanded.
Bhattacharya also pointed out that with less than three months to go for the publication of the final NRC, all the officers and employees engaged in the process should work with utmost dedication to ensure that no foreign national can get his or her name included in the NRC with forged or fake documents. He also said that the Supreme Court has given full authority to the State NRC Coordinator to complete the job of updating the NRC and �we expect that he would do his best to give a correct NRC to the people of Assam.�
