40 Lakh Residents In Assam Are Staring At An Uncertain Future After Being Left Out Of The NRC Draft

Some 40 lakhs Assamese are not Indian citizens, at least for now as they failed to feature in the final draft of Assam's National Register of Citizens (NRC) which was released on Monday.

According to NRC officials, out of the 3.29 crore people who had applied 2.89 crore managed to make the cut as they were able to prove that their family have been residing in Assam before March 24, 1971, before the Bangladesh Liberation war began.

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Those who have been left out in the final draft will not face immediate deportation or detention as it was roumord earlier.

¡°Based on this draft there is no question of any reference to Foreigners Tribunal or any person being taken to the detention centre,¡± Satyendra Garg, Joint Secretary (North East) said.

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They have been given time till September 28 to challenge the exclusion. The final list will be published in December.

"This is just a draft, and not the final list.The people who are not included can make claims and objections. The process for making claims and objections will begin on August 30 and continue till September 28. Adequate and ample scope will be given to people for making objections. No genuine Indian citizen should have any fear," NRC coordinator, Sailesh said.

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The draft was released amid heightened security to avoid any untoward incidents across the state.

NRC was first prepared in 1951 after a census and the latest updation of the list in Assam contains the names of descendants of those whose were in the 1951 list or those whose names were there in Assam¡¯s electoral rolls till March 24, 1971.

Assam, which is the only state to have a citizen's registry began the process in May 2015 in an effort to curb the illegal immigration from Bangladesh.

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People were asked to submit documents to prove that their families lived in the state before 1971.

The demand for updation in the list gained steam in 1980 during the anti-illegal foreigners' movement in Assam. The move was aimed at protecting the indigenous culture of Assam from illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

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It is being updated in accordance with the 2005 tripartite agreement among the state government, the Centre and the All Assam Students Union as part of the process for implementing the 1985 Assam Accord.

The move had courted controversy after some Muslim groups accused the government of targeting the community in the name of NRC.