An Assam-based NGO, whose plea was used by the Home Ministry to seek reverification of the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the Supreme Court, has claimed that legacy data pertaining to more than 3,000 persons was traded thus helping illegal migrants from Bangladesh to be included in the NRC.
In a memorandum submitted to Home Minister Amit Shah, the Sachetan Nagarik Mancha, Axom (SNM) has demanded a CBI enquiry into the issue and accused NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela of “using illegal Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh for the job of data entry”.
About 100 members from the NGO staged a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Saturday demanding an “error free NRC”.
The documents, namely the 1951 NRC (National Register of Citizens) and the Electoral Rolls up to midnight of 24th March, 1971, are collectively called as the Legacy Data.
In the past fortnight, the Supreme Court has twice rejected pleas by the State government and the Union Home Ministry seeking reverification of the documents of a section of the 3.29 crore applicants. The apex court has been monitoring the NRC updation exercise since 2013 and has directed the NRC coordinator to publish the citizens’ list by August 31.
“We have evidence that 3,204 legacy data has been traded,” asserted Chandan Bhattacharjya, President of SNM. “SC is being misguided by Prateek Hajela. Noted freedom fighter Puran Bahadur Chetry and his family has been excluded from NRC but 98.6% people in border areas have been included. How is this possible,” asked Mr. Bhattacharjya.
Several people at the protest alleged that illegal Bangladeshis were included in the NRC but couldn’t provide specific details. Jyotischka Podar, a resident of Karimganj in Assam, claimed, “People who entered Assam illegally from Bangladesh two years ago have got the documents and are included in the NRC.” When asked if he could name anyone, he was unable to elaborate further.
Anto Podar, another protestor, said, “I have come here for India.” Jyotsna Sharma of Guwahati asserted that she knew that many illegal Bangladeshis had been included in the NRC but she did not know anyone herself.
About 41 lakh people have been excluded from the draft NRC lists published in July 2018 and June this year. About 36 lakh persons have filed claims against their exclusion and objections have been filed against two lakh inclusions. The hearings over these claims and objections have been proceeding apace at various NRC centres in Assam. First published in Assam in 1951, the NRC is being updated as per the directions of the Supreme Court to segregate Indian citizens living in Assam from those who had illegally entered the State from Bangladesh after March 25, 1971.
