NRC panic: Hundreds of Kolkatans flock to KMC for copies of birth certificates
Kolkata: In an unusual move, hundreds of people queued up at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) headquarters to get copies of their birth certificates, apprehending the implementation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Bengal.
People started queuing up at the KMC headquarters on S N Banerjee Road from early Wednesday morning, to either rectify the mistakes in their birth certificates or get fresh ones.
Suhas Chandra Sen, a 65-year-old resident of the city, was seen standing in the queue to get a copy of his birth certificate. The KMC started issuing birth registration certificates on the basis of the certificates issued by the state-run hospitals, maternity homes of private hospitals and nursing homes from the early 1970s. Those who were born before that are not given registration certificates.
In recent times, people across the state have become panick-stricken after the names of 19 lakh people have been dropped from the NRC in Assam.
Meanwhile, Dasabhuja Sohag (49), a resident of West Midnapore, died of a massive heart attack in a hospital on Wednesday morning. Sohag had fallen sick on Tuesday evening, after failing to trace a copy of the deed of her land.
She subsequently complained of acute chest pain and was taken to the hospital where she died of a massive heart attack. With her death, the total number of people who have died so far in fear of the implementation of NRC in the state stands at 11.
Meanwhile, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said NRC will be implemented in Bengal and not a single Hindu will have to leave the country. Each and every Hindu will be given citizenship.
It may be mentioned that in Assam, the names of 12 lakh Hindus have been dropped from the NRC, a statistic which puts the saffron party in a tight spot.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who held the administrative review meeting of West Midnapore and Jhargram districts on Wednesday, reiterated that NRC will not be implemented in Bengal.
She urged the people to enroll their names in the voters' list or rectify the mistakes, if any, in their EPIC cards.
The state government, through advertisements, has urged people to contact local administrative authorities if they have lost any important document and not to get swayed by any rumour.
