Some people spreading rumours: Sarbananda Sonowal

Guwahati: Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday said that a section of people with vested political interest are trying to create confusion in the ongoing process of updating and publication of the draft of the National Register of Citizens in Assam.

Mr Sonowal, while regretting the attempt to spread rumours, however, reiterated that his government was prepared to foil any such attempt. He also asserted that no genuine person would be deprived. With the Supreme Court setting the deadline of December for the publication, the security agencies are apprehending trouble by those whose name would be left out of the NRC. It is significant that All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU) has already announced that they are going to mobilise a crowd of 1.20 crore people in Guwahati on November 27 to force the government to concede that there has been no Bangladeshi infiltration to Assam.

The NRC draft is being prepared to register names of all Indian citizens living in Assam. In the process, it would also help in segregating persons who fail to prove that their parents or family lived in India before 1971, the cutoff for identifying Bangladeshi infiltrators. Taking note of the ongoing political reactions and activities, the unified command of security forces on Thursday took stock of the situation. The meeting of the Operational Group of unified command was chaired by Lt. Gen A.S. Bedi, GOC 4 Corps and attended by the Director General of Assam Police, senior officers of the state government, and officials of other central forces. Assam’s population is 3.36 crore, and 68.33 lakh families have applied for inclusion in the NRC.

However, the problem started after Gauhati HC  in a judgment declared the certificate issued by panchayat secretaries as invalid to prove citizenship.

About 48 lakh people had submitted such residency certificates issued by panchayat secretaries.