Fate of Bengalis ‘lurks in the dark’

Our Correspondent

Silchar, June 25: The Supreme Court’s order to update the National Register of Citizens in the state of Assam is apt and apposite. This was pointed out by Sayantan Basu BJP, state general secretary, West Bengal, at a seminar organized by Human Protection and Awareness Organization at Kolkata Press Club on Saturday. Representatives of a number of political parties and Barak Valley-based Bengali organizations were also present at the seminar. “NRC will make sure that the reins of our government is not going to foreigners. This is the reason why the Supreme Court has ordered to update NRC in Assam,” said Sayantan Bose.

Sayantan Bose said, “If BJP comes into power in West Bengal, NRC will be done here also. It is necessary to have an NRC. We are peace loving and do not want any further between the Bengali and Assamese people. India was once partitioned on the basis of religion. Bengali Hindus have also been deprived of their rights. Their fate and future lurks in the dark.” A member of a pressure group Bangla Pokkho, Garga Chatterjee said Assam is a laboratory where experiments are going on. Rajya Sabha MP and veteran Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharjee said, “The existence of Assamese is not at all at stake. Assam is theirs and Bengalis are not at all a threat to their existence. There is nothing to fear. We want to end and stop this conflict and discord.”

Congress leader Arunava Ghose said, “Wearer knows where the shoe pinches. Shelterless and homeless people will only understand and feel the pain of being parted. This NRC, I am afraid, will render many homeless. These homeless will be none other than the Bengalis. We are indeed worried and concerned at their fate.” Former Vice Chancellor of Assam University, Silchar, poet and litterateur, Dr Tapodhir Bhattacharjee said that a conspiracy has been hatched against the Bengalis to deprive them of their citizenship status.

It should be noted that Dr Bhattacharjee’s father was a freedom fighter. Dr Bhattacharjee had always stayed and worked in Silchar and retired as the Vice-Chancellor of a Central university, where the Vice-Chancellor is appointed by the President. The first draft of the updated NRC, 1951 was published on December 31, 2017 and it did not feature his or his family members’ names on the list. This information has been shared with The Sentinel by Sadhan Purkayastha, member, Human Protection and Awareness Organization.