GUWAHATI, June 2 - The Assam Congress Legislature Party (ACLP) today alleged that the State National Register of Citizens (NRC) updating authorities are resolute to exclude names of numerous pre-1971 period migrants from the updated NRC. This is despite the fact that these people have all the relevant unimpeachable documents to prove that they are bona fide citizens.
Reports are also pouring in that names of many people have been excluded from the process of updating the NRC, who were initially marked as �D� (Doubtful) voters, but, subsequently declared as Indian citizens by the foreigners� tribunals, said the ACLP in its memorandum to the State Coordinator of NRC here today.
There are sufficient prima facie indications that there is a concerted drive to exclude bona fide citizens, especially religious and linguistic minorities, from the final draft of the NRC, it alleged.
It further alleged that the NRC authorities have been constantly changing its stand while updating the document. In this context, the ACLP alleged that the NRC authorities were nonchalant in the matter of linkage certificates issued by the gaon panchayat secretaries, which were declared invalid by the Gauhati High Court. But later on, these certificates were upheld as valid documents by the Supreme Court. About 46 lakh married women�s fate was associated with these certificates, said the ACLP.
It also alleged that the State NRC authorities have been using all possible excuses to try and exclude many genuine Indian citizens from the NRC. It is learnt that a list has been sent to NRC Seva Kendras from the State NRC Authority suggesting non-inclusion of certain names in the NRC. Some of the names suggested in that questionable list are those of Tanko Bahadur Pradhan, son of Mon Bahadur Pradhan; Laxmi Pradhan; Deepa Sarkar, daughter of Dinanath Sarkar and Kumkum Bhattacharjee, wife of Nirbendu Bhattacharjee. All of them are residents of Karimganj district. Some other names include: Sudhangsu Das, son of late Atul Das (Nagaon district); Kusum Das, daughter of late Mahim Chandra Das (Nagaon district); Alaka Biswas, daughter of late Gopal Biswas (Nagaon district); Rina Barman, daughter of Ajit Barman (Nagaon district) and Umme Kulsum and Nur Nehar, daughters of Abdul Khalek (Mankachar district).
Another person whose name figures in the said list is a 41-year-old man named Rafikul Islam, son of Md Kamal Uddin of Muriputhi Khaiti village in Nagaon district. The name of Rafikul's deceased grandfather, Abduch Sattar, was included in the 1965 voters� list of Kaliabor Legislative Assembly Constituency. Yet another person from the same Muriputhi Khaiti village whose name figures in the list sent by the State NRC Authority is one Samsul Alam. The name of Alam�s father, Muslem Uddin, figures in the relevant voters� list of 1965.
There are sufficient prima facie indications that there is a concerted drive to exclude bona fide citizens, especially religious and linguistic minorities, from the final draft of the NRC, the ACLP alleged.
The extent to which the rot has set in can be gauged from the fate of two members of a family belonging to the linguistic minority community, who are residents of Kulidunga village under Ooluoni Police Station in Kaliabor. Prahlad Das and Ashutosh Das had their names included in the first draft of the NRC and had been voting in successive elections. Despite that, however, they were picked up from their home by border police personnel on May 31, 2018 on the plea that they would have to complete some NRC-related formalities. The next thing the family knew was that both had been sent to a detention camp in Tezpur, said the ACLP.
