New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said affected people will get adequate opportunities to register their claims and objections after the release of the draft NRC (National Register of Citizens) in Assam next week and there was “no cause for worry”.
The part draft of the NRC was published on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1, wherein the names of 1.9 crore of the 3.29 crore applicants were incorporated. On July 30, the fate of all 3.29 crore applicants will be decided.
“No one should be worried about it (the release of the draft NRC). People will get adequate time to register claims and objections and if someone is not satisfied, they can also approach the foreign tribunal.
“I can say that there is no reason for worry,” Singh said on the sidelines of an event here.
The Home Ministry had on Wednesday asked the Assam government not to take any action against those whose names do not figure in the list of the state’s citizens. It had also rushed over 22,000 central paramilitary troops in order to beef up security in Assam and adjoining states to ensure peace and maintain law and order.
The massive registration exercise, aimed at identifying illegal immigrants in the north-eastern state bordering Bangladesh, is being carried out following a decision in 2005 after a series of meetings involving the central and state governments and the influential All Assam Students’ Union (AASU).
NLSA directive to
Assam legal body
The National Legal Services Authority has directed the Assam State Legal Services Authority to provide assistance to people who had been declared ‘D’ voters or were facing trial in Foreigners Tribunals in the state.
‘D’ or doubtful voters were people who were disenfranchised during electoral roll revision for their alleged lack of proper citizenship credentials.
According to Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, the directive about providing assistance to the affected people, in accordance with the provisions of the Legal Services Authorities Act, was issued in a letter dated July 17.
He claimed that it was issued in response to letters written by him in which he had highlighted the alleged harassment faced by several people who were prosecuted as foreign nationals despite having strong documentary evidence of Indian citizenship.
He welcomed the directive and expressed hope that the Assam State Legal Service Authority would provide assistance to people, besides the family of former deputy speaker of the Assam Assembly, Maulana Amiruddin, who were allegedly harassed despite possessing valid documents to prove their citizenship.
Saikia had written to the NLSA after visiting detention camps at Goalpara, Kokrajhar and Cachar in the last couple of years and collecting data from the inmates while interacting with them.
He had also visited areas like Morigaon and Udalguri and undertaken a similar exercise there. In a press release issued here, Saikia claimed he highlighted the plight of genuine Indian citizens persecuted as foreign nationals. He sought steps to alleviate their misery in letters to the president, the prime minister, the union home minister, the registrar general of India and census commissioner among others. (PTI)
