NEW DELHI, July 22 - Rattled by allegations and rumour mongering, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said the NRC exercise in Assam is being carried out in an impartial, transparent and meticulous manner and will continue to be so.
�I will like to assure everyone that the NRC exercise is being carried out in a totally impartial, transparent and meticulous manner and will continue to be so at every stage of the process... adequate opportunity of being heard is given to all persons. The entire process is being conducted according to law and due procedure is being followed,� said the Home Minister after a marathon round of meeting with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and top officials at his Akbar Road residence here.
The meeting was also attended by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, Joint Secretary (North-east), Satyendra Garg, besides Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Secretary TY Das and DGP Kuladhar Saikia.
The Centre and Assam government have noted that attempts are being made to incite people by levelling serious allegation that efforts were being made to keep lakhs of people out from the NRC. The Congress party last week made a similar allegation in a letter to the Union Home Minister and the matter was raised in the Lok Sabha, while campaigns were on in social media to discredit the entire NRC update process with rumours that those whose names have been dropped would be put in detention centres, sources said.
�We will ensure that every individual gets justice and is treated in a humane manner. All individuals will have sufficient opportunity for all remedies available under the law,� Singh said after the meeting that lasted over two and half hours.
�The Government of India wants to make it clear that the NRC to be published on July 30 is only a draft. After draft publication, adequate opportunity for claims and objections will be available. All claims and objections will be duly examined. Adequate opportunity of being heard will be given before disposal of claims and objections. Only thereafter, the final NRC will be published,� he said.
The citizenship rules provide that any person who is not satisfied with the outcome of claims and objections can appeal in the foreigners tribunal. Thus, there is no question of anyone being put in a detention centre after the publication of NRC, Singh said.
Meanwhile, the Assam government has been asked to
ensure that law and order is maintained and make all possible arrangements to ensure safety and security for all. �There is no reason for panic or fear. No person will be allowed to be harassed,� he said, adding, the Central government would provide all necessary help to the Assam government in this regard.
The NRC is being updated in Assam in accordance with the Assam Accord signed on August 15, 1985. The entire process is being carried out as per directions of the Supreme Court, which is constantly monitoring the process.
Later, Sonowal told the media that the entire issue was discussed thoroughly and since both the Centre and the State are jointly involved with the exercise they are assisting the Registrar General of India (RGI) and the State Coordinator for NRC.
The Chief Minister also tried to allay apprehensions by asserting that the draft NRC is to be published on July 30 but nobody should harbour any fear if their names are dropped from it. �It is only a draft and the process of claims and objections will continue. Nobody should be alarmed. They will get enough time to make their claims and objections...,� he said.
Sonowal also warned that nobody should make any communal and inflammatory statements regarding the NRC. �I would like to appeal to the people of the State that all should cooperate and they should not be worried,� he said, hoping that the exercise would conclude peacefully.
