Assam: 1951 NRC ‘Not Available’ & ‘Partly Available’ in 15 Districts, Citizens in Dilemma to Prove "Indigenous Citizenship"

Guwahati, February 19, 2020:

Year 1951 has lately become the centre of attention especially in the context of defining who is “indigenous” to the state of Assam. However, a latest report reveals that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for year 1951 is ‘Not Available’ in many of the districts.

A list provided in response to a query regarding the availability of Assam NRC in the districts of Assam has revealed that the 1951 NRC is ‘Not Available’ in six districts of Assam and in nine districts it is ‘Partly’ available. In such a scenario, the Clause 6 Committee’s proposal to set Year 1951 as the cut-off has pushed the state in a dilemma.

The 1951 NRC is 'not available' in Udalguri, Dibrugarh, Sivsagar, Cachar, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts. The register is 'partly available' in Darrang, Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Kamrup, Tinsukia, Bongaigaon, Nalbari, Barpeta and Morigaon districts.

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While speaking with Inside Northeast, The All-Assam Minority Students' Union (AAMSU) Advisor, Azizur Rahman said, ““It has been circulated in the media that the Clause 6 Committee has suggested 1951 as the cut-off year to decide the indigenous Assamese. We also assume that the government and the Committee will consider 1951 as the base year now. However, according to the list reveals that six districts don’t have the 1951 NRC and nine have the 1951 NRC partly. Now, how are the residents of these districts supposed to prove that they have been staying in the state prior to that?”

Rahman informed that the list was provided in response to a query of an MLA in the Assam Legislative Assembly, 2015. AAMSU has demanded that the matter be taken into consideration and year 1971 be set as the cut-off year so that the people of Assam are unaffected.

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“We demand that March 25, 1971 should be set as the deadline to define the original inhabitants of Assam. All the people who have accepted the language, culture and the Assamese society should be considered as indigenous.

It may be mentioned here that AAMSU has submitted the list before the Supreme Court as a counter Affidavit urging the reconsideration of year 1951. “The government should check if 1951 should be the cut-off year and how far it will prove to be good. According to us the cut-off should be 1971.”

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