Can Gauge Where We’re Heading For: Justice Biplab Kumar Sarma
Rise in minority-dominated districts in Assam
Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: Justice Biplab Kumar Sarma, a former judge of the Gauhati High Court, has dropped a broad hint that the pace at which the number of minority-dominated districts is rising in Assam makes the people of the State gauge well where they are heading for.
Justice Sarma was speaking at a meeting on the NRC (National Register of Citizens) at Vivekananda Kendra at Uzan Bazar in the city. The meeting was organized by the Sachetan Nagarik Mancha.
Justice Sarma said: “The Assam Accord was signed in 1985. According to the Accord, March 25, 1971 is a cut-off date for detection of foreigners in Assam. The foreigners entering Assam from 1966-1971 were not given voting right for ten years. The rates of birth in Assam rose at 16.99 per cent in 1911, 20.47 per cent in 1921, 19.92 per cent in 1931, 19.94 per cent in 1941, 34.97 per cent 1951, 44.95 per cent in 1961. In 1971 Assam had only two districts – Hailakandi and Dhubri – dominated by minorities. However, the number of such minority-dominated districts rose to four in 1991, six in 2001 and nine in 2011. The nine minority-dominated districts in the State are Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Darrang, Dhubri, Goalpara, Karimganj, Hailakandi, Nagaon and Morigaon. If the rise in minority population in the State keeps rising at this pace, we can gauge well where we’re heading for.”
Advocate Bijan Mahajan, who was also present at the meeting, said: “Assam wants a transparent NRC. The NRC is being updated in the State in accordance with the Citizenship Rule, 2003. NRC update is yet to start in other States of the country. Rule 4 of the Citizenship Rule, 2003 says that if NRC is updated in other States in the country it will be started only after door-to-door enumeration of families. However, in Assam Rule 4(A) of the Citizenship Rule, 2003 is being followed. According to this Rule, applications for enrollment in the NRC have been invited from all residents of the State.”
Speaking at the meeting, former ADGP Pallab Bhattacharya said: “The police will be helpful when the NRC is published. Everything will go digital when the Guwahati will be a smart city. In such a situation, the police will have an edge in arresting fleeing criminals.”