STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Stating the AASU’s statement on the final NRC has created an apprehension among the public, the All Asom Bengali Youth Students’ Federation (AABYSF) has criticized State NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela and other officials involved in the NRC update exercise for ‘rejecting pre-1971 refugee certificates and migration cards’ as valid NRC documents.
Addressing a press conference at Dispur Press Club here on Tuesday, the leaders of the Federation said that criticism is obvious from those who truly love Assam. Despite using the legacy data of 1951 and 1966 many people have been declared ineligible for inclusion in the final NRC, they said. They further said that the AASU made a statement that the people found ineligible for inclusion in the final NRC are ‘foreigners’ and all of them should be ‘sent to their own country’. This statement, the Federation leaders said, has sent a shock wave among a section of indigenous Indian citizens.
President of thew Anusuchita Jati Suraksha Parishad, Assam Swapan Kumar Mandal said, “We want an NRC with 100 % re-verification so as to ensure that the name of not a single indian citizen is left out. We’re happy that Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma have said to extend legal help to those declared ineligible for inclusion in the NRC. The Federation further claimed that most of the people declared ineligible for inclusion in the final NRC belong to the Hindu Bengali community and the main reason behind this is “Pratik Hajela’s secret order to not take pre-1971 migration cards and refugee certificates as valid documents”.