As the Seva Kendras for National Register of Citizens (NRC) opened on Friday to initiate the process for clarification and objection, indigenous Muslims living in different areas of Assam sticks to hope that their names will be included in the final NRC.
Hundreds of such indigenous Muslims, who have been living since generations in different villages under Goroimari revenue circle in Kamrup district, located only 65 kms away from Assam’s Capital town Guwahati, are depressed not to find their names in the historical document.
These ill fated people—whose ancestors had migrated to Assam during the British Raj and during early 1900 from the then East Pakistan and who are at times subjected to humiliation as illegal foreigners due to their cultural and linguistic similarity with those from Bangladesh—hoped that the final NRC will settle the issue once and for all.
The draft NRC published by the Assam Government on July 30 had left many of the community stunned in villages like Hatishola, Bholukabari, laruajan, Karaibeel and many others under the Hatishola Bhalukabari Gram Panchayat. Besides leaving out names of many indigenous Muslims, the complete draft NRC also removed names of some Muslim families whose name appeared in the part draft NRC published by the Government on the midnight of December 31 2017. “The names of my whole family appeared in the part draft NRC published by the Assam Government on December 31 last year. However, this time my name did not appear in the complete draft NRC. It’s shocking. I have also received a notice which said that there is a case pending against me at Foreigners’ Tribunal and hence my name did not appear in the complete draft NRC,” said Hakim Ali, a native of Bholukabari village under Goroimari revenue circle.
Ali, however, had not received any notice from the Foreigners’ Tribunal so far. “It’s very strange. My father’s name is there in 1951 NRC and I have been voting since I am 18 years old. My name is already there in voters’ list. The part draft of the NRC included my name but why they dropped my name this timeij” Ali asked.
It may be mentioned here that names of 40,07,707 people were left out of the complete draft NRC published on July 30. The Assam Government has opened the over 25,000 NRC Seva Kendras today where these people can inquire about the reasons behind non inclusion of their names and accordingly they can file claims and objection from August 30 to September 28.
Samsul Haque of Karaibeel village shared similar sentiments and added that while the names of four members of his family appeared in the part draft NRC published on December 31 2017, the complete draft NRC published on July 30 this year dropped the names saying that cases are pending against them in Foreigners’ Tribunal.
“There is no case pending against us in the Foreigners’ Tribunal. We are not D voters. I have my name in voters’ list and my fathers’ name also figure in the 1951 Voter list. There is no question of us being ‘D’ voters. The NRC authorities should have taken steps to end the problems of Indigenous Muslims rather than complicating the matter,” said 55 year old Haque.
“Yes I am depressed. Our names should have been there in the NRC. We are Assamese. I do not even remember from where my great grandfather or his ancestors came here. My father and me were born here. This is our land and we belong to here. Our people are often subjected to humiliation as ‘Bangladeshis’ but we belong to here,” said a tense Haque, who was desperate to see his name in the NRC, which according to him would have sealed his Indian citizenship once and for all.
“There is no illegal Bangladeshi living in these areas. Yes, I admit that most of our ancestors came from the then East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh). However, that migration took place long before March 24, 1971, which is the cut off date fixed by the Supreme court while updating the NRC,” said Akram Hussain, former president of the Hatishola Bhulukbari Gram Panchayat and a social activist.
“My great grandfather must have come from East Pakistan but I have nothing to do with that. We are Indian and Assamese. Assamese is our mother tongue like any other indigenous tribes of Assam. Is it a sin to be a Muslimij Why the Muslims have to appear in the same examination every timeij” asked Akram.
“With the NRC process we hoped that the problems will end once and for all. We believe in the mechanism fixed by the Supreme Court for updating the NRC. But there is some error somewhere which is why these problems are occurring. However, if things continue like this, many genuine Indians’ name will get dropped from the final NRC,” said Akram.