Dimapur, Sep. 19 (EMN): In what would come as a relief for over 40 lakh people whose names were not in the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, the Supreme Court of India has on Wednesday directed submission of claims for inclusion of names in the list starting September 25.
A total of 40,07,707 people were found missing in the final draft of the NRC in Assam, which was released on July 30 2018. This resulted in an uproar from those who were left out of the list.
Sensing the magnitude of the issue, the Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and RF Nariman has given a 60-day window to those whose names were not found in the previous NRC draft, to claim inclusion of their names in the list. Filing claims and objections will start on September 25. The apex court will hear the matter again on October 23.
The final draft of the NRC in Assam caused widespread worry among neighbouring states like Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh over fears that it would lead to influx of illegal immigrants into the states.
The authorities in Nagaland had geared up mechanism to streamline the ILP system in the state to check the possible influx of illegal immigrants after the NRC in Assam was released. District administrators have set up special task forces to detect illegal immigrants, with the help of civil society and student organisations, and regional leaders. A separate committee has been set up under the leadership of commissioner-secretary to chief minister, Abhishek Singh, to streamline the system of ILP in the state.
The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) had also conducted several rallies demanding that the government expedite action against a possible influx of ‘illegal immigrants’ into the state. Furthermore, the NSF and various other organisations are demanding inclusion of Dimapur district in the ambit of the ILP.
