NRC Assam: Consider eligible documents for left-outs

Assam State BJP to Hajela

Special Correspondent

Silchar: Assam state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a letter to the state coordinator of NRC Prateek Hajela has strongly pleaded for inclusion of certain eligible documents, not considered, for inclusion of the names of lakhs of genuine Indian citizens and indigenous people who have been left out of the second draft.

Pulak Gohain, general secretary, BJP Assam Pradesh, has urged upon Hajela to consider the documents as listed below as proof documents for inclusion in the NRC.

It has been pointed out though the Supreme Court allowed certain documents for consideration in addition to other documents.

State BJP has submitted for consideration of migration certificate, citizenship certificate, all variants of refugee cards, camp intimate cards, refugee eligibility certificate, gazette permits, khuti permits, tauji revenue receipts, cattle tax revenue receipts, revenue collection receipts issued by devalaya and other religious institutions, certificates issued by schools till 1971, recruitment certificates of armed forces, revenue payment receipts issued by forest department or other authorities. Pulak Gohain at the same time has expressed concern at exclusion of lakhs of female applicants and their children in the absence of lack of linkage to their valid documents although their parents and relatives are included.

The state coordinator has been urged upon to allow these females having at least 2 witnesses, one from family member and the other a co-villager during direct hearing as proof of their entry to Assam prior to 1971. Many have lost their birth certificates. Hajela has been requested to accept the date of birth mentioned in the school certificate issued between the period 1950-1987. It is also a matter of concern that thousands of people have been left out as their parents are enlisted as ‘D’ voter in the voter list.

But, the Citizenship Amendment Act of 1986 provides that any person born in India on or after January 26, 1950 but prior to the commencement of the 1986 Act on July 1, 1986 is a citizen of India by birth. Therefore, it has been pleaded children of ‘D’ voter who are born before July 1, 1987 should be included in the NRC. It has also been pleaded all the Indian origin people including Gorkha should be included in the NRC.