GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has revealed a strategic plan to eliminate names acquired through forgery from the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The Chief Minister disclosed that discussions with experts are already underway to execute this process effectively.
Addressing the press during a press conference on Sunday, CM Sarma stated, “We are in the process of developing a comprehensive strategy to identify individuals who falsely enrolled in the NRC. Our aim is to remove such entries from the NRC list by exposing the forgery. To achieve this, we have initiated discussions with experts.”
This announcement from Chief Minister Sarma coincides with rising concerns and allegations regarding a significant number of individuals being erroneously included in the NRC list, prompting a need for a comprehensive review.
The Chief Minister made these remarks while participating in the Swahid Diwas event at Swahid Smarak Khetra, Paschim Boragaon in Guwahati.
December 10 is observed as Swahid Diwas (Martyrs’ Day) in Assam, commemorating the sacrifice of Khargeswar Talukdar, the first casualty of the Assam Movement in 1979 in Bhabanipur.
Established in 1951, the NRC is a comprehensive record of individuals who can substantiate their presence in the state prior to March 24, 1971— the pivotal day preceding Bangladesh’s declaration of independence from Pakistan.
The primary objective behind the NRC’s inception was to ascertain the citizenship status of those born in Assam, affirming their Indian identity, while also distinguishing potential migrants originating from neighbouring Bangladesh.
Given the extensive 4,000-km border shared between India and Bangladesh, concerns over illegal migration have persisted for decades in the state of Assam.
Addressing this issue, the government reported in 2016 that an estimated 20 million undocumented immigrants were residing in India, underscoring the urgency of measures to regulate and document the influx of individuals from neighbouring regions.
