Gorkha Group Decries Exclusion of Gorkha Martyrs' Kin from NRC

Guwahati, June 30, 2019:

The Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha -- a nonpolitical socio-cultural national federation of Indian Gorkhas with 22 state units and 5 zones -- organised a press conference today along with All Assam Gorkha Students' Union - the influential Gorkha youth and students organisation of Assam and the Assam Nepali Sahitya Sabha to inform the nation about injustice done to the bonafide Indian Gorkhas.

They have stated that the names of Bajyanti Devi's family members (Upadhyaya) - a Gorkha girl who was the first woman martyr of Assam Agitation have been excluded from NRC.

According to Amar Upadhyay, father of the martyr, informed that names of his grandsons namely Rohitakash Upadhyay and Mihiran Upadhyay along with their mother Nirmala Devi are included in the exclusion list published recently. Meanwhile, the names of the father and grandfather have already appeared in draft NRC.

The legacy person, father of Baijayanti Devi himself is alive and nearing 90 years of age.

He expressed with grief that it is disheartening for him to see his grandsons' name being rejected in NRC updation process and name of his daughter-in-law being found in excluded list, while her whole family has cleared NRC and the names have appeared in last draft NRC.

In another case, Manju Devi the great grand daughter of freedom fighter Chabilal Upadhyay, founder of Congress party in Assam, has also been left out from NRC upgradation process despite having shown proven parental lineage.

She was told during the last draft that she had been marked 'D' in 2005, so her NRC been rejected along with her sons and daughters. Manju Devi says that she enquired the matters with Border Police and got a clearance certificate from Sonitpur SP after she filed an RTI on this matter and got a reply.

She took up the matter with the Election Branch too and submitted a copy of clearance from SP Office but all in vain. If this continues, she cannot make it to NRC. The FT has so far not issued any notice to Manju Devi in this matter however as a bonafide citizen, she has enquired about the matter but hasn't got any favourable response.

Sahitya Akademi awardee and President of Assam Nepali Sahitya Sabha Durga Khatiwada's name has also appeared in the Exclusion List released by NRC as Additional Draft. Khatiwada holds 1951 NRC of his father as legacy. Although all his family member's names seems to have been included in NRC, he himself is surprised about his exclusion.

Addressing a heavily attended press conference National Secretary (Youth Affairs) of the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha Nanda Kirati Dewan said, 'Feedom Fighters and Assam Agitation families have been disrespected due to exclusion from NRC. This is not only disrespect to the Gorkhas but also as a whole it's an insult of the freedom fighters and martyrs who made supreme sacrifices for the cause of state and the nation.'

'Certified copies will be sought from NSKs or from competent authority ascertaining reason of exclusion and matter will be taken before court as the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha is one of the parties in the Supreme Court of India on NRC hearing case where Honourable Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had opined that Gorkhas are asset of the Nation and that no Gorkhas should be left out of the NRC.' the national youth leader Dewan added.

Prakash Dahal, General Secretary Assam State, Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh said, 'Its a blot in Assam's Foreigner Free movement history that family of first women martyr of Assam Agitation have been left out from NRC doubting their nationality now and them marking as D'voter'.

Dahal further added, "It should be corrected with out any harrasement and should resolve the issue on or before last date of publication of final NRC constitutionally otherwise the NRC exercise would loose faith and it's accuracy will always remain in doubt like the D'Voters.

On the issue of NRC and D'Voters Nanda Kirati Dewan said, " Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh, AAGSU and others organisations delegations had called on the then Home Minister Shri. Rajnath Singh and sought proper solution to the issue of D Voters and Ministry of Home Affairs issued a statement on this matter which necessarily doesn't suffice to close the matter. We had requested MHA to make it a Gazzeted Notification after incorporating changes suggested, which is yet to happen to address the issue of D Voters. '

'Bonafide Indian citizens have been harrased in name of detecting and deporting foreigners by doubting their Indian nationality.

The government's Border Police Department and Election Commission of India should ensure that all those who have been marked D in electoral roll and never been issued notice by FT or competant authority to prove his citizenship must be immediately included into NRC Final draft if it clears verification and screening in NRC Upgradation", Dewan stressed. 'We are taking up the matter with the state government on regular interval and will appraise the NRC authorities together once gain'

It needs to be mentioned that Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh is a party in the NRC case in the Supreme Court of India.

The National Leaders of Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh, ahead of it's Derhadoon National Executive Meet and Platinium Jubilee Celebration of Amar Shaeed Durga Malla scheduled on 25th Aug 2019, is likely to meet in Assam at a special extended executive meet with North East Zone and give representations to NRC Authorities, Chief Minister of Assam and bring it to their notice officially.

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