Want Bangladeshi-free NRC, AASU tells RGI and MHA

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, April 26: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has made the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Register General of India (RGI) clear in no uncertain terms that it wants nothing short of an error-free updated NRC that can safeguard the indigenous people of the State in true sense of the term.

By an error-free NRC, the premier students’ body in the State means to say ‘an NRC free from any Bangladeshis, besides including all genuine Indians in it’.     

The leaders of the students’ body had a meeting with top officials of the MHA and the RGI at Guwahati on NRC update on Thursday. While the Register General of India was represented by RGI Sailesh, the MHA team was led by its Joint Secretary (Northeast) Satyendra Garg. The AASU team was led by its adviser-in-chief Samujjal Bhattacharya, president Dipanko Kumar Nath and general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi. State NRC coordinator Prateek Hazela, State Special DG (SB) Pallab Bhattacharya and many other top police officers were also present at the meeting held at SB headquarters at Kahilipara in the city.

During the meeting, the AASU leaders have made it clear that each and every NRC document has to be examined carefully since Bangladeshis have been out to make it to the NRC by hook or by crook. “No one should be allowed to enter the NRC with any fake documents. All panchayat documents have to be examined carefully, failing which the very purpose of making NRC the safeguard for the indigenous people of the State will be failed,” the AASU said that the meeting.      

Meanwhile, the AASU team has also requested the State Government not to transfer any officials who have been engaged on NRC duty at a time when the crucial document verification phase has been underway.

Meanwhile, the RGI has assured the AASU of publishing an error-free NRC in Assam. It has, however, sought cooperation from the AASU, the 28 other ethnic organizations of the State and its people for making that a reality. 

The first part draft of the NRC was published on the expiry of December 31, 2017 mid-night. In accordance with the directive issued by the Supreme Court of India, the second and the final drafts of the NRC are to be published on June 30, 2018.