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Doubtful citizenship to be verified: PC

By Spl Correspondent

NEW DELHI, May 7 � Allaying apprehension over illegal migrants registering themselves in the ongoing census and National Population Register operation, Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram today clarified that in case of doubtful citizenship, the individual or the family would be informed immediately after the verification process is over.

The Union Home Minister was responding to a short duration discussion on the Census that generated much heat in the Lok Sabha during the discussion that spread over three days.

The Citizenship Act is a separate law.� The Citizenship Act was amended in 2003 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003 were notified on December 10, 2003. Rule 2(l) defines �population register�.��

Sub-rule (3) of Rule 4 requires that the particulars collected of every family and individual in the Population Register shall be verified and scrutinised and, under sub-rule (4), in case of doubtful citizenship, the individual or the family shall be informed immediately after the verification process is over.

Therefore, the Rules require preparation of both the Population Register and the Register of Citizens.� It will be obvious that the Register of Citizens will be a subset of the Population Register.

�This should clarify why information is being collected for preparation of the National Population Register and how the Register of Citizens will be established and maintained thereafter,� he said.

�Verification is a subsequent process where we have set up a hierarchy of officers at tehsil and district levels to verify. So, do not mix up enumeration and verification. The enumerator is not the investigator. Therefore, we say, in order to create Population Register and then go to the sub-set of Citizenship Register, we ask the person to say what is the nationality as declared and we make it very clear through an asterisk that this is not a proof of citizenship because, citizenship, as I said is a mixed question of fact and law, it has to be decided in a separate process for which we have to work out a system later,� he said..

Participating in the discussion, Ananth Kumar pointed out that there is danger mostly in Indo-Bangla border. People cross over and get enumerated in NPR.

�What has happened to Assam? Let us compare the voters of 2004 and the voters of 2005 in 24 districts. There is a 14.51 per cent increase in the number of voters in one year. This is a very serious problem. There are very strict laws to punish those who cross the borders in various countries. But, if someone crosses the Indian border, he manages to get a number of facilities and one day he may get elected for Lok Sabha and sit next to you. The infiltration has been a continuous process,� Kumar said.

Referring to the Sarbananda Sonowal versus Union of India case, he said the Supreme Court had said that the report of the Governor, the affidavits and other material on record show that millions of Bangladeshi nationals have illegally crossed the international border. It is a matter of external aggression, as well as internal disturbance. The Census is only demographic profiling. �We require a National Register of Citizens. We do not require a National Register of Population.�

Interestingly, yesterday replying to a discussion on working of the Home Minister, Chidambaram passed the buck to Assam Government stating that onus was on the State Government to detect and deport illegal migrants.

�The ball is squarely in the Assam Government�s court. We are willing to help the Assam Government. But, Assam Government would have to do it under the law that applies to the rest of India, namely, the Foreigners Act and the Foreigners (Tribunal) Order,� he said.

�The IMDT Act has been struck down. There is no IMDT Act today. We have the Foreigners Act, we have the Foreigners (Tribunal) Order. It is now for the Government of Assam to establish as many Tribunals as necessary, detect the foreigners and deport them,� he stated.

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