Turmoil alert over NRC in Assam; committee to move Supreme Court soon

Former MLA Ataur Rahman Mazarbhuiya, on Wednesday, said the state would witness a large-scale turmoil if the names of the genuine citizens of Barak Valley are left out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Mazarbhuiya, who was speaking at a mass convention on the NRC issue, held in Silchar, stated that the issue has already created a lot of furore in the state, especially in this valley, and the situation will worsen if genuine citizens are not included.

“The memories of the Language Martyrs’ Day are still fresh in the minds of the people of this valley, when 11 martyrs had laid down their lives for the Bengali language. Similar movements may be launched this time too, if required,” he added.

He alleged that a section of aggressive Assamese elements is trying to interfere in the NRC update process and conspiring so that the citizenship of Bengalis is snatched.

The former legislator further demanded that Narendra Modi should resign from the Prime Minister’s post for the harassment meted out to people due to the NRC process.

One of the committee members Kishore Bhattacharjee echoed Mazarbhuiya, and said a conspiracy is being hatched against all non-Assamese people, particularly Bengalis of Barak Valley, to ostracise them from the state using the NRC process.

“The time is arriving when we all have to come out on streets for our citizenship and our survival. An united voice will be needed to fight the growing menace,” he remarked, and shared that they would soon move the Supreme Court over the issue.

He suspected that the names of around 15 lakh people of Barak Valley citizens would be missing from the NRC.

Tapodhir Bhattacharjee, the committee’s chairman averred, “We have no idea what will happen after the next 72 hours (when the second draft NRC gets published). “Ominous times are apparently coming for the people of this valley.”

All the speakers demanded that the names of all genuine citizens be included in the NRC and threatened of severe protests if the demand is not fulfilled.

Among others, Sadhan Purkayastha, Sanat Koiri, Maulana Sarimul Haque Laskar and Sourindro Bhattacharjee were present.