Assam NRC: Dr Mafuzur Rahman ends his tweet on a sad note, saying he didn't qualify as an Indian citizen
As the final citizens list was published on Saturday, leaving the futures of over 19 lakh people in doubt, a number of stories have come pouring in of people sharing their challenges. Among them is Dr Mafuzur Rahman, who took to Twitter to share how just a day before his name was excluded from the citizens' list, he had acted as "a responsible Indian".
Dr Rahman, in a tweet, shared the jubilation he felt after helping successfully perform a delivery and how "as a mark of tribute", the new parents arranged for a snack for the entire hospital staff.
However, Dr Rahman ends his tweet on a sad note, saying he didn't qualify as an Indian citizen.
"We, the citizens of Assam, cutting across communities, have cooperated with the NRC exercise since the very beginning. We have waited till the end with so much patience and showed them adequate evidence. My grandfather is an Indian passport holder," Dr Rahman told NDTV.
"And yet I have been denied citizenship," he added.
In a similar incident, a retired Army officer who was detained months ago on charges of being an illegal immigrant too did not find his name on the National Register of Citizens (NRC) list which was published on Saturday morning.
"I was not expecting my name to be in the list as my case is still pending in the High Court. I have full faith in the judiciary, and I'm confident that I will get justice," news agency ANI quoted Mohammad Sanaullah, the retired officer, as saying.
Mr Sanaullah had fought terrorists in Kashmir and Manipur throughout his military career. He was arrested on the verdict of a Foreigners Tribunal in May and remained locked up inside a detention centre for 12 days until a court order called for his release on bail.
"As a soldier for 30 years, it hurts a lot. This is what I get after serving the nation," he had told NDTV at the time. "I never thought that they will declare me a foreigner because I'm a genuine Indian," he added.
The publishing of the list, which has always been a bone of contention among national and regional political parties, again attracted criticism from them on Saturday.
While the Congress has accused the BJP of conducting the exercise on the basis of religion, the BJP and its regional allies have said the list was "faulty" and have sought "re-verification" of people in many Assam districts.