By Bhupen Goswami

 

Guwahati : The publication date of the final draft of the Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC) marches ever-closer, as the NRC-body, headed by Co-Ordinator Prateek Hajela prepares to release the list on August 31, less than four days from today. The demand for the NRC started in 1980, ahead of the Assam Agitation of 1985, which had a great impact on the State and culminated in the signing of the highly-controversial ‘Assam Accord’. A long spell of discussions and deliberations followed after the signing of the Assam Accord, and the Government of India and the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) presided at the negotiating table for ten long years (1998-2008). Modalities were prepared from 2008-2013, and actual work, under the supervision of the Supreme Court, began in 2013.

While all of this has been going on, Assam has seen 7 Governments, headed by 5 Chief Ministers, and 3 parties rule the State. But no decisive move has been taken regarding the NRC up until now.- With the stage set for the publication of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) on August 31, the Government of India has sent back the Central forces withdrawn from the State to be deployed in Jammu and Kashmir and adequate precautionary measures have been taken to ensure that no law and order problem takes place following the publication of the citizenship document. The Government has also clarified its position on the fate of the persons whose names will not appear in the NRC to remove apprehensions from minds of people. Police official told The Media persons that 55 companies of Central forces were withdrawn from the State just before the division of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories and abrogation of Article 370 from that state as there was requirement of forces in that area of the country to maintain law and order. But because of the request of Assam Government to deploy extra forces in the State for the publication of the NRC, the Centre has sent 51 companies of Central forces and most of the forces have already reached the State.police and security forces have been constantly monitoring the situation and a watch is kept on the social media so that no one can instigate people by spreading rumours.

The Unified Command also reviewed the situation and vulnerable areas of the State have been identified. Forces are being deployed after assessing the vulnerability of different areas. Sources said that adequate forces are being deployed in the State and there should not be any law and order problem in any part of the State following the publication of the NRC. It may be mentioned here that Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who is also in charge of the Home Department, has also expressed confidence that there would not be any law and order problem in the State following the publication of the NRC. Security and intelligence agencies have not received any input from any part of the State about possibility of members of any organization planning to create trouble in the State. “Though there is no input about possibility of any law and order problem from any part of the State, the police and security forces are not lowering their guards and all the forces on the ground are on the alert. Strong action will be taken against anyone trying to create disturbance,” sources asserted. Sources further pointed out that efforts by the Government to remove apprehensions from the minds of the people is also a positive step.

The Government has issued advertisements pointing out that the persons whose names will not appear in the NRC would not be termed as foreigners and they will not be detained. The Government clarified that only the Foreigners’ Tribunals can declare a person as a foreigner and the Government would also provide legal aid to the persons whose names do not appear in the NRC. Any person, whose name do not appear in the NRC, would have the right to appeal before the Foreigners’ Tribunal and the Government has already initiated steps to set up 200 new tribunals in addition to the existing hundred. The new Tribunals are likely to start functioning from October 1.ASSAM POLICE IS ON HIGH ALERT AHEAD OF THE PUBLICATION OF THE FINAL DRAFT OF NATIONAL REGISTER OF CITIZENS (NRC) ON AUGUST 31. The authorities have geared up to tackle any sort of menace that might arise on the day of the NRC publication.

It is especially monitoring all social media platforms to avoid posts that might spark controversy and create chaos. Speaking to Inside Northeast, Assam Police ADGP Harmeet Singh said, “We are alert as mischievous elements may try and spread rumours through social media platforms. Therefore, we are keeping an eye on it.” He added that the Police included people to inform about any misleading post or circulation of fake news. “Steps will be taken accordingly to ensure peace. This may include legal action, counselling, removal of posts from social media, etc.” The ADGP further said that they started programmes to sensitize the public on the steps being taken by the government to avoid any harassment to the general public.” Lately, spreading rumours through social media platforms have turned out to be one of the major challenges in the state. Assam Police are taking measures to avoid misleading posts and tackle issues rising through social media posts.

However, all has not been fine and dandy in the lead up to the publication, which has already been delayed numerous times. After the July 31 date had to be shifted due to the ‘re-verification’ process, many organizations cried foul, in protest over the NRC authorities’ move to summon people from Lower Assam areas to Upper Assam districts. Things came to such a pass as many as 2,904 people in a few villages of Boko in Assam’s Kamrup district were summoned to Upper Assam districts within a day to prove their citizenship. They had to appear for the hearings in remote Upper Assam districts, almost 500 kms away, within less than 48-hours. Hojai’s MLA Shiladitya Dev, in the meantime, stands at the ready to ‘drive out’ so-called ‘Bangladeshis’ who have been named in the NRC in the ensuing months. There will be, no doubt, a rush to the FTs to challenge the non-inclusion of names in the final list (the period of challenging has been extended to 120 days), however, that is a story for another day. However, despite the alleged discrepancies, Assam — and the world — stands at the ready, for the ‘definitive document proving citizenship’. Assam’s senior journalist Mrinal Talukdar has also tweeted out the important events in the NRC ahead of its publication.