The NRC’s results were expected to address the question of infiltration. But this has raised more questions than just solving the root problem.
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The final list of National Citizenship Registration (NRC) in Assam was released on August 31. Out of a total of 3.29 crore applicants, a total of 3,11,21,004 citizens have been included in this list. This means that the names of millions of people have been dropped from the final list. The final draft of the NRC was released in July this year, excluding about 4 million names. It is important to note that the final list includes a larger population than the final draft.
The NRC started registering Indian nationals as a solution to the problem of infiltrators in Assam. Assamese citizens are being asked to take measures to curb the infiltration, which is likely to disrupt Assam's demographics, possibly due to infiltration from neighboring Bangladesh.
Instead of resolving the issue of infiltration, the NRC's results have bothered the people there. This is because the result raises more questions than it does about the root cause. The controversy over immigration and the question of the future of the 1.9 million people who did not make it to the final list are the main concerns of the NRC.
The issue of infiltration in Bangladesh has been on the political scene in Assam for a long time. All the political parties there tried to take advantage of the problem without trying to solve it. In the 1980s, Assam faced ethnic violence over infiltration. Bhumiputras in the state feared that if the infiltration was not investigated, the number of infiltrators would increase in Assam more than the locals. This argument was confirmed by the unprecedented increase in the Bengali Muslim population in some districts. However, no official government figures are available on the exact number of infiltrators from Bangladesh. Sometimes government sources make some estimates, but there is a big difference in the number, from 30 lakhs to 2 crores.
Many in Assam feel that many of the intruders have fraudulently obtained various documents proving their citizenship to find their way into the final list. The NRC is expected to honestly analyze the transparency of the process of issuing an identity card validating a person's citizenship.
The NRC sought to unravel the infiltration controversy, which in turn sparked a new controversy in Assam. Some leaders of the ruling political party in the state have announced to find alternative ways to find the intruders. The NRC is expected to further polarize communities in Assam, which is already ethnically and religiously divided.
In 2010, NRC started a pilot project in two districts, Barpeta and Kamrup. However, work on the project was halted after violence erupted in one district. The implementation of the NRC was expedited after the Supreme Court intervened in the hearing of a petition filed by Assam Public Works, a non-governmental organization, seeking the removal of illegal immigrants from Assam. The NRC was implemented by the Assam government under the supervision of the Supreme Court.
After the implementation of the NRC, an important question of introspection has come to the fore; Did it benefit the locals or the immigrants? Ultimately, the point to consider is that this question is directly related to people's lives. Although the people excluded from the list were immigrants, there were compelling reasons behind their emigration. In the present age, deportation may not be a preferred option. Moreover, Bangladesh does not believe that there is infiltration on its side.
It should also be noted that those whose names are not included in the NRC list, for example, Bengali Hindus were forced to migrate under religious persecution. Assam's ruling party has expressed displeasure over the NRC verdict. Apart from this, the important point that women migrated here after marriage has also been overlooked. All of these topic needs to be taken into account and ratified before making any conclusion on NRC.
The government has set up a structured grievance redressal mechanism. In this context, 400 Foreigners' Tribunals (FTs) have been set up in the NRC to hear cases of excluded persons. Such persons have to file their claim within 120 days from the announcement of the final list. This arbitration is not the last resort. If the decision of these arbitrators is not acceptable to that person, that person can run in the High Court as well as in the Supreme Court. In addition, the government has stated that no one will be treated as an intruder unless all legal options have been exhausted. It is painful and painful for the people to realize that even though the time for such an announcement has not been delayed, we are no longer residents of this state.
The NRC exposed a number of flawed institutions and boosted the confidence of the Assamese people in government. He aspires for peace and patriotism in the country. People hope that Assam as a state will be able to restore its sense of multiculturalism in the years to come.
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