Forum Against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill Dismisses Reports of 'Humanitarian Crisis' due to NRC

Guwahati, September 23, 2019:

The Forum Against Citizenship Act Amendment Bill have dismissed the media report published on 10 September 2019 that a so-named ‘Assam Tribunal on NRC’ has published an ‘Interim Jury Report’ pronouncing ‘NRC has spawned a humanitarian crisis’.

In an official statement, the anti Citizenship forum stated, “It has come to our notice from a media report published on 10 September 2019 that a so-named ‘Assam Tribunal on NRC’ has published an ‘Interim Jury Report’ pronouncing, among other things, that the ‘NRC has spawned a humanitarian crisis’ without any sign of abetment. The Tribunal consists of three former judges, two from the Supreme Court and the other a former Chief Justice of Delhi high court, and besides them there are some other intellectuals, mostly from outside Assam. Surprisingly, the Tribunal held it’s hearing at Delhi calling interested witnesses selectively instead of at some place in Assam for reasons best known to them. Had they come to Assam and heard the views of native peoples they would have become aware of vital issues they have overlooked.”

It added, “The NRC has many stakeholders and the People’s Tribunal should have heard representatives from all such stakeholders, preferably somewhere in Assam.”

The forum further added that it needs no iteration that at all stages during the preparation of the NRC; the Supreme Court closely supervised it. “The procedure adopted was accepted by all concerned including political parties as well as the youth and student organizations of different communities. There were 3.38 crore applicants and some more than 19 lakhs have been left out of the final NRC evidently for their failure to prove their citizenship to the satisfaction of the authorities concerned,” it added.

“We are not holding brief for the NRC authorities to say that the exercise was one hundred percent correct but in such a gigantic exercise it is not surprising that there could be some mistakes for which a further process of rectification has to be there. The Tribunals under the Foreigner’s Act seem to be given this task by the Government. We object to this decision of the Government, since the fate of those left out of the NRC will remain in uncertainty for procedural delay and the past examples do not give any confidence. We admit that the detention camps where the alleged foreigner are made to languish for years have inhuman conditions causing immense misery to the inmates including deaths,” said the forum.

The NRC authorities ought to continue hearing various complaints of anomalies in impartial manner, at least for a year. Admittedly, the stakeholders have raised different political objections from various points of view and, therefore, a Supreme Court hearing is also due, the Forum said.

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