Silchar citizen group slams Prateek Hajela over origil inhabitant

NRC update process

  SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR, Aug 12: garikatwa Suraksha Sangram Committee (NSSC), Barak Valley unit, has taken serious exception to the directive of NRC nodal officer Prateek Hajela to include the mes of a section of citizens as ‘OI’ in the ongoing NRC update process without examining their relevant documents. This is quite contrary and in contravention to the judgment of the Supreme Court of India given last year which allowed the listing of the mes of tea tribe people in the NRC as ‘OI’. But, there was no response or reaction from the central government or the state or the Supreme Court as well as the High Court as to which other communities should be included in the NRC.

 Pradip Kumar Deb, a frontline member of Sangram Committee, said the Citizenship Act of 1955 modified in 2003 clearly spelt out that if the NRC authorities during update process became certain about the citizenship of any person or persons, their mes could be included without any documents. It was most unfortute that Parteek Hajela in a most arbitrary and whimsical manner has included the mes of some linguistic groups which amounts to gross discrimition against other communities and groups.

 Not only that by such discrimitory approach, Prateek Hajela has expressed his suspicion about the citizenship all other groups of Bengalis, Nepali and Hindi speaking people of the state. He has also adopted a different yardstick for examining their documents. Pradip Kumar Deb points out this kind of behaviour on the part of Hajela has created deep resentment among the minorities of the state and in identifying the citizens as ‘OI’ and ‘NOI’, they see a deeper conspiracy. Even if their mes are listed in NRC, Bengalis, Nepalis and Hindi speaking people will lose their right to buy and sell lands, be deprived of government jobs, business and even education for their being branded as ‘NOI’. Besides, they will also be deprived of other facilities.

 Considering the gravity of the matter and the possibility of an emerging situation for conflict, NSSC has in a memorandum to the Chief Minister of Assam sent through the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar today has sought his immediate intervention to end the process of creating division among communities in the me of update of NRC. The Committee reminds the Chief Minister of his commitment to work with all and work for the development of all. Since the issue is sensitive and unless the conspiracy to divide the society is nipped in the bud, it will have an ominous portend. The memorandum was signed by Subrata Chandra th, Champa Lal Das and Samar Bhattacharjee.