Assam opposition demands NRC report, closure of detention centre over ‘D’ voters crisis

The opposition on Wednesday, March 5, raised concerns over the plight of ‘D’ (Doubtful) voters in Assam, demanding the closure of the state’s only detention centre, now termed a transit camp, and the tabling of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) report in the Assembly.

During the discussion, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA Aminul Islam claimed that lakhs of people were labelled as ‘D’ voters without proper verification or visits by officials. He highlighted cases where individuals were declared doubtful citizens while their immediate family members remained recognised as Indian citizens. “This has ruined families and shattered the dreams of thousands of youths,” he said.

Islam called for the formation of an all-party team to assess the conditions of ‘D’ voters and those in detention. He also criticised the Foreigners Tribunals (FTs), alleging bias in their rulings despite respondents providing adequate proof of citizenship.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA Manoranjan Talukdar reminded the House that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had promised to shut down the detention centre before coming to power but had not fulfilled its commitment. He demanded the immediate release of all Indians from the facility and the deportation of foreigners. “The Supreme Court has questioned many ex-parte decisions taken at these centres. The government must act on this,” he said.

Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi pointed out that the ‘D’ voter issue affected various communities, including Nepali, Koch-Rajbongshi, Hajong, Garo, and Rabha, and urged the government to complete the NRC process. He stated that the final NRC list, published on August 31, 2019, excluded 19,06,657 individuals but has yet to be notified by the Registrar General of India, leaving the document without official recognition. “If the NRC has errors, rectify them, but do not let it remain in limbo,” he urged.

Gogoi also emphasised the human rights concerns related to the detention centre, stating that very few deportations had taken place under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s tenure compared to previous governments. He suggested that the Assembly pass a resolution urging the Centre to sign an extradition treaty with Bangladesh to facilitate deportations.

Congress MLA Nurul Huda highlighted cases where Indian citizens had been detained for years.  "People are dying inside the centre, but their bodies are not sent to Bangladesh. These are handed over to the relatives in Assam for the last rites. If they were Bangladeshis, why don't you send them to that country?" he questioned the government.

According to a written reply from the Chief Minister on Monday, Assam currently has 1,18,134 ‘D’ voters, as per Election Department records. He also stated that as of February 24, 258 individuals remain in the transit camp.

BJP MLA Dipayan Chakraborty defended the existence of the detention centre but called for the release of Hindu ‘D’ voters. Meanwhile, AIUDF MLA Ashraful Hussain claimed that ‘D’ voters are denied basic rights and identification documents such as Aadhaar, PAN, and Voter ID cards. “This is a political issue, not just a legal one. The system was created to economically weaken a particular community,” he alleged.

Slamming the Foreigners Tribunals, Hussain claimed that if cases were filed against all 126 MLAs in the Assam Assembly, half of them would fail to prove their citizenship under FT judgments.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, however, defended the process, stating that no one is detained without an FT order. “Detainees are kept only after being declared foreigners and remain there until deportation. The concept of ‘D’ voters was introduced by the Election Commission in 1997, not by the government,” he said.

The ‘D’ voter category exists only in Assam, where individuals unable to prove their Indian nationality are marked for verification. The issue has been central to the state’s political landscape, often influencing elections. Regularization or deletion of ‘D’ voter status is determined by foreign tribunals, with appeals possible in higher courts. (With inputs from PTI)