NRC: Citizens Rights Preservation Coordination Committee (CRPCC) sees deeper conspiracy behind Prateek Hajela’s SOP

Silchar, Sept 21: Citizens Rights Preservation Coordination Committee (CRPCC) of Barak Valley unit sees greater conspiracy behind Prateek Hajela, state coordinator’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) submitted before the Supreme Court to drop five of the ten documents for re-verification of the NRC left outs which was endorsed by the Apex Court in its judgment of September 18. In fact, various organizations which included Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya O Sanskriti Sammelan, Sammilito Sanskritik Mancha, North East India Emarte Sarariyah O Nadwatuth Tamir, ACKHSA, Auto Owners Association, Kaibarta Unnayan Parishad, Barak Valley Tea Labourers Association, Cachar Hindi Bhashi Chatra Parishad and Barak Human Rights Committee came under the banner of CRPCC and their representatives articulated their views on NRC and the future of the left outs at a meeting held at a public hall here.

Expressing grave concern at the fate of the left outs, Samirul Haque said it is surprising that even the 1951 NRC has been dropped for consideration. He raised the relevant question on what basis it was the update of NRC then.

The five documents dropped out included pre 1971 voter list, citizenship certificate, refugee certificate, NRC 1951 and ration card. It would be a herculean task to collect or obtain important documents like birth certificate, passport, PRC, among others, without submitting the copy of the 1966 voter list, he pointed out. Other documents, he added to say, listed for consideration are not in the possession of most of the applicants.

Besides, as Samirul Haque said, documents to prove citizenship on the basis of the pre 1971 birth certificate, passport, LIC policy, bank and post office passbooks, board certificate, government certificate of service, land documents etc are mostly nonexistent. The reason, he pointed out, was that most of the people were dependent on agriculture for their sustenance. Many villagers could not continue their studies beyond middle school education due to extreme poverty and lack of proper education structure. It is also beyond one’s imagination why the set of documents which qualified 3.29 crore applicants for being enlisted in the second draft should not be applicable for the left outs. He described it as a double standard yardstick, quite unjustified and inexplicable.

Prof Tapodhir Bhattacharjee did not find any reason why the names of 10 per cent of those enlisted in the second draft should be subjected to review by the Supreme Court. The ground cited, as per media report, is that many applicants could make it to the final list in lieu of money. But the demand of the religious and linguistic organizations has been to reconsider the cases of 40 lakh left outs as their documents might not have been properly scrutinized and examined. If 10 per cent are again left out, he apprehended the number of left outs would go up to 60 to 70 lakh applicants. This smacks of a design which needs no explanation.

Dr Sourindra Kumar Bhattacharjee called upon all the political parties and organizations assembled today under the umbrella of Citizens Rights Preservation Coordination Committee to unite to decide about the next course of action, rising above all differences. In order to frustrate the well laid out design of depriving citizenship to the members of religious and linguistic minorities of Assam, the three prong action plan drawn up at the meeting included intensive and extensive campaign in the urban and rural areas for being prepared for agitation, memorandum from the three districts of Barak Valley to be sent to the Registrar General of India, explaining the present situation and stress to be laid on mass contact. Others who spoke on the occasion included Kamalakkha Dey Purkayastha, MLA, north Karimganj and former MLA Ataur Rahman Majarbhuiya.