Himanta Biswa Sarma criticizes West Bengal's laxity on border infiltration, calls for nationwide NRC

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has criticized the West Bengal government for its lack of stringent measures and proactive initiatives to curb infiltration across border areas. Speaking to the media, Sarma described West Bengal as a "weak link" in the nationwide campaign against illegal infiltration.  

"The weak link in our campaign against infiltrators is the West Bengal government," CM Sarma stated. "All illegal infiltrators that enter India through Tripura or Assam — if you check my Facebook and Twitter posts, you’ll see we are apprehending six to seven illegal infiltrators daily. However, unless this infiltration is stopped in West Bengal, the issue will persist and spread across the country."  

The Chief Minister emphasized the need for a countrywide documentation process, such as the National Register of Citizens (NRC), to effectively address the issue. "How and when this will be implemented is a different matter," Sarma added, underscoring the urgency of the proposal.  

Sarma’s remarks have reignited debates on the strategies required to tackle infiltration and the role of inter-state coordination in safeguarding national borders.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the General Administration Department will now serve as the nodal agency responsible for overseeing the verification of Aadhaar applicants in the state. Following a Cabinet meeting, the CM stated that an Additional District Commissioner (ADC) would be assigned to oversee the process in every district.  

The new procedure mandates that after an applicant submits their initial Aadhaar application, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will forward it to the state government for further verification. The local Circle Officer (CO) will first determine whether the applicant, their parents, or family members had applied for inclusion in the National Register of Citizens (NRC).  

If no NRC application exists, the Aadhaar request will be rejected immediately, and the rejection will be reported to the central government. However, if there is a pending NRC application, the CO will conduct a field-level verification as per Supreme Court guidelines. Aadhaar will only be approved once the officer is fully satisfied with the verification process.

Sarma clarified that this new directive will not apply to central government employees working in other states who did not apply for the NRC. The CM emphasized that the government is introducing these measures to establish a stringent Aadhaar issuance system, ensuring that no individual with dubious credentials can obtain the identity card.  

The final NRC, published on August 31, 2019, excluded over 19 lakh applicants, while 3.11 crore names were included out of a total of 3.30 crore applicants.