Most of the people off the list were expected to be Muslim (Image via: Livemint.com)

1.9 Million People in India's Assam to Become Stateless

Kirana Chandra Mumpuni Budiana
Politics & Economic
International
Aug 31, 2019
1649
1.9 million people in Assam have 120 days to appeal against their citizen status after the National Register of Citizens (NRC) list updated for the first time since 1951. The NRC list contains people who can prove they came to India by 24 March 1971, which was a day before Bangladesh declared independence from Pakistan. The list was made to ensure which are the people who were born in Assam as Indian and they who were migrants from Bangladesh. The NRC list has been the priority of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The NRC list update was done to identify illegal migrants from Bangladesh. Currently, thousands of people suspected of being foreigners were detained in temporary camps, in the state’s prisons. This process is criticized as “witch hunts” of Assam’s ethnic minorities. People in Assam are required to show the prove of their Indian heritage by providing documentation of their lineage. Those who can’t prove it deemed as illegal migrants. Although they are given a chance to appeal, the process can be long and exhausting. The courts would be overburdened and clogged, while poor people can’t afford to fight for the case.

Some of the families are unable to provide the documents needed due to the illiteracy. Prateek Hajela, the State Coordinator of the NRC mentioned that the 1.9 million people excluded from the list have either been denied or did not apply, which is the prove of illiteracy or poor record-keeping. Not only that, the differences of name spelling or ages in voter rolls also has been the problem that makes people declared as illegal migrants. Another reason is the problem in providing documents certified by authorities. Amnesty International has been criticized the courts as "shoddy and lackadaisical".

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49520593

India , Assam , Stateless , people , citizen , Bangladesh , migrant