Kolkata: With the midnight announcement of the first draft of National Register of Citizens (NRC) declaring 1.9 crore Assam residents as legal, fate hangs in balance for the other 1.39 crore.
With a massive amount of data yet to be verified, the other half of the population will keep biting their nails till the next announcement expected within 2018.
Heavy security deployment was seen across Assam in anticipation of a backlash.
The Supreme Court had ordered the Assam government to complete the first round of tabulation and come up with a list by December 31.WHAT IS NRC?
The National Register of Citizens (NRC) was largely devised to recognize the Indian citizens in Assam and identify illegal immigrants who have infiltrated the state from Bangladesh.
The porous border between Assam and Bangladesh has led to a major problem of illegal immigration that was even taken up as an election issue in the last Assembly elections.
According to the natives of Assam, the Bangladeshi immigrants who migrate illegally, looking for greener pastures, better life and employment have led to unemployment among the locals.
There have been several protests by many indigenous groups in Assam who feel they have been wrongfully denied jobs.
With the NRC, immigrants who can prove that they had entered Assam before 1971 — during the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistan — will be considered Indian citizens. Others will have to show that they have ascendants in Assam who have lived here even before 1971 and can make it to the NRC.WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Apart from validating one’s Indian citizenship in the north eastern state, the NRC could also boost one's hope for better employment opportunities.
As illegal immigrants could risk losing their jobs and employers would also face some backlash, companies are likely to prefer those with an NRC registration for employment.
Those who could possibly be branded as ‘illegal immigrant’ would also have to face their own challenges.
With limited options left for this left-out group of minorities, they would have very few options left with them. This could further lead to clashes between opposing groups that the central and state security forces might find difficult to handle.
Moreover, the onus would also lie with the Bangladeshi government. Will the neighbours step-up to protect the people of their origin or will they be left to fend for themselves, is a matter that only time can tell.
Comments
0 comment