GUWAHATI: A citizens meeting under the aegis of All Assam Minorities’ Students Union here appealed to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) authorities to include the names of all legal citizens residing in the state prior to March 25, 1971, in the NRC and exclusion of all “illegal” citizens, be they Hindus or Muslims, who have entered the state after the cut-off date.
Representatives of the meeting held on Sunday unanimously condemned the NRC state coordinator’s proposal to the Supreme Court to exclude five of the 15 documents (under List A) required to establish the legacy of an applicant who did not find his or her name in the complete draft NRC and appealed to him to withdraw the suggestion.
The names of over 40 lakh people have been excluded in the complete draft NRC which was published on July 30, 2018.
Senior advocates of Gauhati High Court, academicians from Gauhati University, intellectuals and distinguished personalities from a cross section of society discussed the current status of the NRC process and shared their opinions and suggestions.
The meeting further appealed to the state government, the Centre and the Registrar General of India to submit an affidavit before the apex court supporting their consensus on the previously agreed upon requirement of 15 documents for an applicant to establish his or her legacy.
Members of the meeting also resolved to appeal to the authorities to ensure that the entire NRC exercise takes the right course by rectifying the discrepancies in the process.
Warning political circles against attempts to politicise the NRC updation process, the meet further appealed to the indigenous organisations to sustain their democratic agitation to protect the interests of all legal citizens who have been residents of Assam prior to March 25, 1971, but do not find their names in the complete draft NRC.
The meeting, while bestowing it’s confidence and belief on the apex court, urged both political and apolitical organisations to remain firm on their stand in regard to the modalities of the NRC process till the exercise is completed.
