Over 19L people left off NRC list, fate uncertain

Guwahati/New Delhi: Over 19 lakh people have been left off a list of citizens released on Saturday in India's north-eastern state of Assam, after a mammoth years-long exercise to check illegal immigration from neighbouring Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Resentment against illegal immigrants has simmered for years in Assam, one of India's poorest states, with residents blaming outsiders, many said to come from Bangladesh, for stealing their jobs and land.

A total of 3,30,27,661 people had applied to be included in the NRC. Of them, 3,11,21,004 have been included in the document and 19,06,657 excluded, a statement from the NRC State Coordinator's office said.

Those who have been excluded from the National Register of Citizens have 120 days to appeal against it at Foreigners Tribunals. If not satisfied with the verdict of the tribunals, they will have the option to move the High Court and the Supreme Court for redress.

In order to assuage the fears of those who could be excluded from the final list, the Assam government has already ruled out their detention "in any circumstances" till the time Foreigners Tribunals declare them foreigners. The final list was published at 10 am and the hard copies of the Supplementary List of Inclusions are available for public viewing at the NRC Seva Kendras (NSK), offices of the Deputy Commissioner and offices of the Circle Officer during office hours, a statement by the NRC authority said. Hundreds of people began thronging these offices soon after the list was released, with some returning home happy and some disappointed.

Notwithstanding apprehensions about disquiet in the wake of the release of the NRC list, Assam was calm with no incident of violence or protests reported from anywhere.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC were in force in several areas of the state, including Guwahati and Dispur, with over 20,000 central paramilitary forces besides personnel of the state police patrolling the streets in towns and villages. Surprisingly enough, parties across the political divide called the final NRC faulty, with some saying they would appeal against it in the Supreme Court. The Assam government once again sought to allay the fears of those left out of the NRC, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary saying it will extend legal support to genuine Indian citizens. The publication of the final NRC brought both joy and disappointment.

After hearing rumours that her name was not on the list, Sayera Begum, a 60-year-old woman from Sonitpur, jumped into a well Saturday morning.

Durga Khatiwada, a Sahitya Akademi award winner, who did not figure in the final draft, was a happy man after seeing his name on the register.

However, Bimal Choudhury, who said he served as a havildar in the Indian Army, is dejected. "I fought for the country, and I don't find my name in the NRC. I am extremely worried," he said. The preparation of the NRC, a mammoth exercise involving 52,000 officials who scrutinised over six crore documents over four years, was mired in controversies many times.