Guwahati, Jul 26 (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today sought to allay fears among people on their names missing from the NRC, saying no one will be treated as a foreigner if his or her name does not appear in the final draft of the state’s citizens list.
Chairing a high-level security review meeting here, he asked officials to guide people, whose names do not figure in the National Register of Citizens (NRC), through the procedure of claims and objections. “If someone’s name does not appear in the complete draft, he or she is not to be considered a foreigner. Public should be clearly explained the process of claims and objections after publication of the NRC,” Sonowal was quoted as saying by one of the officials present at the meeting.
The chief minister also directed the officials not to refer any case to the Foreigners Tribunal based on the NRC final draft, the official said. The Home Ministry had yesterday asked the Assam government not to take any action against those whose names do not figure in the NRC.
“There is no question of referring the persons whose names do not figure in the draft NRC to the Foreigners’ Tribunal as people are entitled to file claims and objections and due opportunity has to be given to them before final publication,” an advisory of the ministry had said. The NRC is being updated with March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date for legitimate claim to Indian citizenship in Assam. The final draft will be published on July 30. The first draft of the NRC was published during the intervening nights of December 31 and January 1, containing 1.9 crore names out of a total applications of 3.29 crore people.
NLSA directive to Assam legal body for 'D' voters
Guwahati, July 26 (PTI): 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.
