Assam Publishes First Draft Of NRC, Recognises 1.9 Crore People As Legal Citizens

To identify illegal migrants from Bangladesh in the state, Assam on Sunday published the first part draft of the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) with the names of 19 million people out of the 32.9 million applicants, the Indian Express reported.

This is the first time after 1951 that the NRC is being updated with the aim of weeding illegal migrants from Bangladesh who entered the state after 25 March 1971. People were required to prove links with family members whose names appeared in the 1951 NRC or electoral rolls till 25 March 1971.

The exercise, which is running behind schedule, is being performed under the supervision of the Supreme Court of India. Although no timeline has been fixed, reports suggest the completion of the exercise could take a few more months.

“This is a part draft of the updated NRC. The verification process for the rest 1.39 crore applicants is still on. There’s no need to panic. Everybody should be patient to wait for the release of the final draft,” Shailesh said.

A six-year long agitation against illegal migrants from Bangladesh led by the All Assam Students Union (AASU) concluded in 1985 with the signing of the accord between the Centre, the state government and the AASU. Updating the 1951 NRC to prepare a comprehensive list of Indian citizens in the state was part of the deal.