Assamese May Become Minority by 2040, Warns Upamanyu Hazarika, Demands NRC Reverification

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Senior Supreme Court advocate and convener of the Prabajan Virodhi Manch (PVM) Upamanyu Hazarika on Saturday warned that Assamese people could become a minority in Assam by 2040 unless the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is re-verified.

Speaking to the media at the Guwahati Press Club, Hazarika criticised the Assam Land and Revenue Amendment Act, 2026, alleging that its provisions, introduced to protect xatras, would instead weaken safeguards for indigenous people.

Hazarika alleged that the amended law expanded the definition of “original inhabitant” to include people of Bangladeshi and erstwhile East Bengal origin who had continuously resided in Assam for three generations before 2006. He claimed this could make such people eligible to reside within the five-kilometre protected radius around xatras.

He said government data showed that 15,288 bighas of land, or around 5,000 acres, had been encroached upon, mainly in Barpeta and Nagaon districts. He alleged that instead of eviction, the government would now provide rehabilitation, which, according to him, would undermine the purpose of protecting xatra land.

Hazarika also alleged that the amendment weakened the objectives of the Assam Accord, the Clause 6 recommendations and safeguards for indigenous people. He referred to the recommendations of the Brahma Committee and the Clause 6 committee, which proposed safeguards relating to land, employment and trade with 1951 as the base year.

Referring to the NRC, Hazarika said 19,65,657 people had been excluded from the NRC and called for its reverification, claiming that the data had already been digitised. He alleged that around 70 lakh of the 80 lakh people included in the NRC were foreigners and asserted that there was no alternative to re-verification.

Hazarika also referred to data placed before the Assam Assembly, according to which 1,679 Bangladeshis had been deported or pushed back between 2024 and June 30, 2026. He claimed that more than 2,000 Bangladeshis had not been deported and alleged that eviction drives carried out before elections had failed to address the issue.

He said his forum would undertake public awareness campaigns and mobilise opinion in support of NRC reverification and safeguards for indigenous people. Hazarika asserted that no Bangladeshi should be included in a revised NRC and warned that failure to address the issue could result in Assamese people becoming a minority by 2040.

Hazarika also said he had shifted his professional base from Delhi to Guwahati to practise in courts and pursue public issues.

Also Read: Purvottar Kshetra Shines at Vidya Bharati’s 37th National Wushu Championship