Citizenship Preservation Struggle Committee to fight against complexities in NRC update

From Our Correspondent

Silchar, March 16: The leading citizens of Barak Valley convened a mass convention here at Chuto Lal Seth Institute yesterday to chalk out strategies to fight against the complexities that arise out from the process of NRC update.

The convention presided over by the former principal of Gurucharan College Tapas Sankar Dutta decided to launch a movement across the state against the “evil designs” to harass the linguistic minority people living in Assam in the me of NRC update. A new committee- Citizenship Preservation Struggle Committee- has been formed to spearhead the movement.

Surojjaman Mandal, Assam secretary of Sara Bharat Krishak and Khet Majoor Sangathan and a key leader of Barpeta Pilot Project, gracing the convention as the chief speaker, said that the time has come for the people especially belonging to linguistic minority community to raise their voice. He said the tiol Register of Citizens (NRC) should be updated in Assam along with other parts of the country. “Why is it only updated in Assam?” He said that the government had listed 16 types of documents like voters’ list prior to 1971, driving license, ration cards, among others. Either of 16 listed documents will be enough for a person to prove his citizenship.  But, Mandal said that the government must accept any valid document that proves one’s citizenship.

He said that there are lakhs of people living in Assam who had never bothered to keep any such documents and they would be harassed once the NRC update procedure begins. He at the same time took a dig at the government and said that it is very unfortute that the D voter issue is yet to be resolved even after 18 years.

“Around 3 lakh 70 thousand people are branded as ‘D’ voter in Assam. Even after 18 years, all the ‘D’ voter cases could not be resolved. Now, the government says that the me of the ‘D’ voters will not be included in the tiol Register of Citizens unless they are freed by the foreigners’ tribul,” he pointed out.

Mandal further said that the circumstantial evidence or a valid citizen’s declaration in favour of the person should be taken as valid evidence to include one’s me in the NRC. “If the circumstantial evidence or the witnesses’ account is accepted in the Court, then why can’t these two things be taken in the case of NRC update?” He said that if one fails to provide the requisite papers despite being the bofide citizens of the country, the government would declare the person as citizenship less. “It is better to die than to become citizenship less,” he added.

The committee has been formed with five conveners and an executive committee. The members will sit soon to chalk out the future course of action.