Assam NRC: A look at one year since the Final list excluding 19 lakh people was released

After a year since final National Register of Citizens (NRC) list was released in Assam, 19 lakh individuals who were left out are yet to kw status of ir citizenship.  Amid onslaught Coronavirus (COVID-19), Assam's NRC officials have reportedly stated that it would be unlikely y will issue official tice rejecting excluded population's citizenship. Without an official tice of rejection, se 19 lakh individuals cant approach govt-appointed 'foreigners' tribunals to challenge final list which was released on August 31, 2019.

Assam NRC Final list here: 3.11 crore included, 19.06 lakh excluded

Here's a look at year since Assam NRC final list was released:

What is NRC?

NRC was first prepared in 1951 under purview of Census Act, 1948. In 2013, a special Supreme Court bench heed by  Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Rohinton Fali Nariman ordered State Government to carry out an updation process. This ended with receipt of forms by NRC authorities on 31 August 2015. process under SC's supervision aimed at separating genuine Indian citizens from undocumented immigrants living in Assam and cost a staggering Rs 1,200 crore. As per NRC terms, a resident has to prove that y or ir ancestors entered Assam before midnight on March 24, 1971.

According to NRC press release, 3,30,27,661 Assam residents have h to prove ir Indian citizenship. Previously in December 2017, first draft was published in which 140 lakh people were included. Furr, in July 2018, second draft was published where more than 40 lakh people were excluded. Apart from se drafts, an ditional exclusion list was published on June 26, 2019, where names of 1,02,463 people were published. se persons were earlier included in draft.

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final NRC list

On August 31, 2019, National Registry of Citizens (NRC) state coordinator's office released final NRC list. 3,11,21,004 Assam residents have been found eligible, while 19,06,657 Assam residents have been found ineligible. exclusion includes number of people who did t submit ir papers to NRC authorities. 19 lakh exclusion is a major decrease from over 40 lakh excluded in second draft published on July 2018.

state coordinator stated that those t satisfied with outcome can file an appeal before Foreigners Tribunals. Moreover, state govt assured that those excluded do t become a 'foreigner' and that state would provide legal aid to needy people excluded by NRC. state also gave 120 days to people who were excluded to appeal to tribunals, assuring that number of tribunals h been increased to aid citizens. Those deemed 'foreigners' by tribunals will be sent to detention camps. state govt has since n published list of those included in NRC.

Why has Assam NRC disappointed all?

final list h disappointed BJP and left most Bengali residents aghast. BJP's Assam Home Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma h alleged that over 5 lakh Hindu Bengalis were excluded from list and that y would be given citizenship by state by 2021. Reports estimate that of 19 lakh excluded -7 lakh were Muslims, which has led to Assam BJP, AASU oppose process - leing to violent protests. Moreover, BJP has batted for a nationwide NRC which has been vehemently opposed by most states. 

As of date, Andhra Presh, Bihar, Delhi, Tamil Nu, Kerala, West Bengal, and Mhya Presh have opposed National Population Register & NRC in its current format - demanding it to be restored to its 2010 version. Moreover, states like Rajasthan, Punjab, Kerala, West Bengal, Telangana, Chhatisgarh have passed anti-CAA resolutions too. Apart from state governments, most parties except BJP have opposed a nation-wide NRC. Maharashtra, Tamil Nu, and Karnataka where detention camps were being built too were stalled by respective state governments.

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Developments on detention and deportation

200 new foreigners tribunals were set up ahe of final list's release in August 2019, as per reports. se tribunals set up as per Foreigners (Tribunals) Amendment Order, 2019 ordered by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) gave powers to se tribunals to review cases of those excluded and declare if applicant was a foreigner or t. While se tribunals were supposed to be 'quasi-judicial', as per reports Assam government h taken over control se tribunals, transferring officials based on performance.

While PM Modi has denied existence of 'NRC detention camps', MHA informed Lok Sabha in March that 3331 individuals are housed in six detention camps in Assam - Tezpur (797), Silchar (479), Dibrugarh (680), Jorhat (670), Kokrajhar (335) and Goalpara (370). Matia detention camp in Assam's Goalpara sanctioned by Modi govt in 2018 with a capacity to house 3000 'foreigners' was under construction before it was stalled due to COVID-19. In a small relief, Supreme Court in January ordered that children who were excluded from list, but ir parents were deemed as citizens, must t be sent to detention camps.

Moreover, fate of those in detention camps is also ambiguous as to wher y would be deported to Banglesh or t. In December 2019, Banglesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen asked India to provide list of any Bangleshi nationals living illegally in India, stating it would allow ir return. But as India and Banglesh maintain that NRC and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) were internal matters, Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, in March has assured Dhaka that NRC process in Assam will t affect Banglesh. Hence, question of deportation still remains unanswered.

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NRC-NPR-CAA link & nationwide protests

Since pass of CAA by Parliament, violent and peaceful protests were witnessed across nation. protests against CAA which began in Assam spre to Uttar Presh, Assam, West Bengal, Gujarat, Karnataka, Bihar, Delhi, and Maharashtra - with Delhi's Shaheen Bagh protest led mainly by Muslim women gaining fame. While thousands were detained by police throughout country, at least 27 people died prior to Delhi riots.  Several universities  - Jamia Millia, Aligarh, Mras University witnessed clashes between police and students which resulted in alleged lathi- charging, tear gas, and rubber pellet action by police and vandalism by protestors. All protests ground to a halt after Delhi riots in February, killing 53.

While BJP has maintained that NRC, CAA and NPR were t linked, most Indians have deemed it an attempt to disenfranchise mirities. BJP which h pushed for a nationwide NRC in ir electoral campaigns has w rejected it with PM Modi saying that re were talks of a 'nationwide NRC' in parliament. Currently, NPR process too has been stalled due to COVID-19 lockdown.

NPR, first prepared in 2010 and updated in 2015, is an identity database maintained of all usual residents of country and is prepared at local, sub-District, District, State and National level under provisions of Citizenship Act 1955. Any resident who has resided in a local area for past 6 months or more, or intends to do same has to mandatorily register in NPR. A nationwide NRC similar to Assam NRC would be based on NPR prepared. Meanwhile, CAA amends previous Citizenship Act 1955 to make refugees who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Banglesh and Pakistan, eligible for citizenship. This Act has been challenged in Supreme Court.