Guwahati: Even as the Centre is planning a nation-wide National Register of Citizens, the fate of more than 19 lakh people left out in Assam NRC continues to hang in balance with authorities not sure about their legal status and course of action against all those who refuse to move application before the Foreigners Tribunal in Assam.
Informing that the National Register of Citizens authorities are yet to start the process of issuing rejection letters to more than 19 lakh people whose application for inclusion of their names into NRC were rejected, sources engaged in process of updating the NRC in Assam told this newspaper that government of India, which is custodian of the NRC, has not taken any decision on the fate
of the people who refuse to move application before the Foreigners Tribunals.
Referring to the existing provision after the publication of NRC, the authorities said that individual whose name was not included in the NRC, can’t be declared foreigners.
“The NRC authorities would issue a rejection letter to all those whose names were not included. To establish their Indian citizenship, such people will have to move before the Foreigners Tribunal within stipulated time period of 50 days,” sources said adding that only Foreigners Tribunal or court of law can declare an individual as foreigner.
However, NRC authorities are yet to get the direction from the ministry of home affairs about the individuals who refuse to go before the Foreigners Tribunal.
Admitting that ministry of home affairs is yet to take a decision to handle such a situation, sources said that there have been instances of a large number of people failing to present their claim before the NRC authorities because of poverty.
Pointing out that a large number of beggars and homeless people failed to present their case for inclusion, sources said that the process of updating the NRC is aimed at stripping the citizenship of people whom authorities describe as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
People have to prove that they or their family moved to Assam before March 1971, when neighbouring Bangladesh gained Independence.
Though, it is yet to be assessed if the prime objective of updating NRC was fulfilled or not, former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi however hailed NRC as ‘document for future’.
