NRC: Only 7 lakh claims and objections filed

Guwahati, December 8, 2018:

Even after the extension of time by the Supreme Court for filing of claims and objections against the National Register of Citizens (NRC) draft from November 25 to December 15, only seven lakh claims and objections have been filed so far.

The names of over 40 lakh applicants were left out of the complete draft, published on August 31.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal recently said the number of claims filed so far was ‘very dissatisfactory’.

Meanwhile, highlighting the panchayat polls, the state’s BJP-led coalition government urged the Supreme Court, under whose direct monitoring the NRC in Assam is being updated, to extend the deadline for submission of claims.

BJP state unit chief Ranjit Kumar Dass said every individual should get a fair chance to get his or her name included in NRC.

The complete draft had the names of 2.89 crore of the 3.29 crore applicants. The applicants were asked to submit any of the 15 documents such as land-related document, passport, bank or LIC documents of pre-1971 etc for inclusion of their names in NRC.

The NRC is being updated with March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date. This means foreigners, who migrated to Assam after the NRC cut-off date, will be viewed as illegal immigrants.