NRC | Muslim Family Allegedly Harassed in Assam's Nagaon Despite Having All Relevant Documents

Guwahati, June 29, 2019:

What are the requirements to be declared a legal citizen of the country, India? What kinds of documents does a person need to prove him his/her citizenship? The land documents of 1935, the NRC list of 1951, inclusion in the the voter lists of 1965, 1971, 1997, 2005, 2015, and 2019 or something else?

Now, some sections of society have alleged that the police personnel are discriminating against minority communities despite them having all the requisite documents. Some locals are also alleging that many belonging to a particular community are being tagged as 'foreigners' simply because of their religion.

It has been further suggested that the many laws meant to demarcate foreigners (such as Assam Accord, Foreigners' Identification Act, etc) are being overlooked by some of the NRC officials.

After the 'Sanaullah case' which left the entire country shellshocked, another similar matter has come to the fore which would lead one to assume that the NRC procedure is not without its errors.

An incident has been reported in Nagaon district's Digholiati village under the Juria Police Station. The victims are Fatema Khatun and Nurul Islam's family.

Their property is under the name of their great-grandfather under the land laws of 1935, and their NRC is under the name of their father. They have all the land and legal documents to prove that they are indeed genuine sons and daughters of the Indian soil.

Moreover, their names are also included in the voter rolls, as claimed by the family. The husband-wife duo have all the documents that a citizen of the country should have. In fact, their children even have their birth certificates and proof of their educational pursuits.

Despite having all these, on June 15, 2019, the Nagaon's foreigners' tribunal (4) has started hearings where it has been mentioned that they entered India after 25 March in 1971. Now, this family will have to go door-to-door to prove that they are indeed genuine citizens. The question that arises now is: will their plight ever end? That only the future can tell. The final draft NRC will be published on July 31.

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