Assam Citizens List NRC: Uncertainty For 19 Lakh People Left Out Of List

Assam NRC: Nearly 3.1 crore have been included in the final Assam citizens' list.

Highlights

3.11 crore have been included in the citizens' list
Every person left out of NRC can appeal to the Foreigners Tribunal
At least 1,000 tribunals will be set up in phases to hear disputes

Guwahati: Over 19 lakh people will have to prove their citizenship after they were left out of the Assam National Register of Citizens or NRC that was published this morning, an exercise aimed at identifying legal residents and moving out illegal immigrants from the state. 3.11 crore have been included in the list. This is the second such list published in the country after 1951. Coming just weeks after the government ended Jammu and Kashmir's decades-old special status, the NRC is one of the biggest moves in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's second term.

Here are top 10 updates on the Assam citizens' list (NRC):

The government has said people whose names are not part of the NRC will not be declared foreigners till all legal options are exhausted. "Any person who is not satisfied with the outcome of the claims and objections can file an appeal before the foreigners' tribunals," NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela said in a statement, adding that everyone had received an adequate hearing. The time limit to file the appeal has been extended from 60 to 120 days.
Among those who have been excluded from the citizens' list is Ananta Kumar Malo, an MLA from All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) which is Assam's second-most powerful opposition party.
The status of both inclusion and exclusion can be viewed online on the NRC website, www.nrcassam.nic.in. The website crashed soon after the list was published. People can also check the status at help centers set up by the state government, offices of the deputy commissioner and offices of the Circle Office. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal hold a review meeting at 3 pm.
Security has been tightened in Assam, with tens of thousands of paramilitary personnel and police posted across the north-eastern state bordering Bangladesh. Any gathering of more than four people at several public places is banned, especially at sensitive areas that have seen violence in the past, including Assam's main city Guwahati.
Around 41 lakh people were left out of a draft list that was published last July. They were asked to come up with documents to prove their claims.
The Home Ministry said at least 1,000 tribunals will be set up in phases to hear disputes; 100 tribunals are already open and 200 more will be set up in the first week of September. If one loses the case in the tribunal, one can approach the high court and then the Supreme Court. No one will be put in detention centres until all legal options are exhausted, the government has said.
The centre has said it will give legal aid to those who have been left out of the NRC through the district legal services authorities. The ruling BJP in Assam and its rival Congress plan to assist some "genuine" people whose names are missing in the NRC, and several non-profits have come forward to volunteer with legal help.
The NRC has immense significance for the people of Assam as the state witnessed a six-year-long movement between 1979 to 1985 seeking detection and deportation of illegal migrants from Bangladesh.
Many BJP leaders have raised concerns over a large number of Bengali Hindus being left out of the NRC. Chief Minister Sonowal, after meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah last week, had said the centre may consider a law to remove foreigners who could have entered the list and add genuine citizens who could have been left out.
The National Register of Citizens (NRC), first published in Assam in 1951, is being updated as per directions of the Supreme Court to segregate Indian citizens living in Assam from those who have illegally entered the state from Bangladesh after March 25, 1971.