As soon as the clock struck 10 on the August 31st morning, in the Ata village of western Assam’s Baksa district, Samsul Hoque’s house was filled by around a dozen men and women. It was raining. But it did not deter the crowd from stepping out of their homes.
Brimming with anxiety and hope, they were gathered to check their names in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) that had just been published. One of them whipped out a mobile phone and began the task at hand. One by one, he asked each one for their ARN (Application Receipt Number) to look up the results.
An exercise that had begun in mid-2015, the updating of the NRC in Assam came to an end with its final list being published last Saturday. As per the figures released by the NRC authority, 19,06,657 people failed to make it to the citizens’ register out of a total of around 3.30 crore applicants.
Those who have been rejected will now get an opportunity to file appeals for their inclusion as Indian citizens before a quasi-judicial institution known as the Foreigners’ Tribunals. The window for making such an appeal will be open for 120 days. The process is likely to start in a few days’ time.
Back in the Ata village, while the final list brought good news to some, the persisting worries did not get over for many others. For 50-year-old Samsul Hoque, a farmer who had been tense over the exclusion of his family- his wife and three of their daughters- from last year’s draft register, Saturday’s outcome came as a big relief.
“I have no words to describe my happiness. As my family has finally been included [in the NRC], all our anxieties are over now,” he said with a smile.
Samsul’s younger brother Moinul Hoque showed similar elation. His 9-year-old son Ekbal Forid had been kept out of the draft in July last year. But this time his name was found on the final list. “We were tense because his name had not come up despite presenting the necessary papers. But after today, we don’t have to worry anymore,” said Moinul.
But that morning, not everyone was as happy as the Hoque brothers. A hundred metres away from their house lives the family of Akbar Ali. On checking the status of their application, Ali found his family of five had been rejected in the final NRC.
On hearing this, Ali’s 16-year-old son, Moibul Islam, appeared concerned about his future. “I am preparing for my matriculation examination. But now I am not sure if I can appear in it. My fate is wrapped in uncertainty now,” he said worriedly.
According to Akbar Ali, his younger brother and him had used the same legacy document of their father while applying. Yet, while his brother’s family were accepted as Indian citizens, they were not. “I am really puzzled. How is it possible?” he wondered.
A picture of distress and confusion could be seen in Katajhar too, a market-area situated a few kilometers away from Ata. Here, a crowd of 50-odd people eagerly waited outside an NRC Seva Kendra (NSK) to check their names on the list.
46-year-old Kamaluddin Ahmed, a marginal farmer from the nearby Sonbari village, was surprised to see the outcome. He said his family of six had been left out of the final register despite furnishing the necessary documents.
“I was optimistic about the NRC initially. I thought it would bring an end to the illegal immigrants’ issue in Assam. But seeing the result now, I don’t think the exercise has been a fair one,” Ahmed said with frustration.
Ahmed, however, believed that he would get justice before the Foreigners’ Tribunal during the upcoming appeal window. “I will approach the local NSK and inquire about the steps to be taken now. I am a genuine Indian citizen and I will prove this,” he said assertively.
Stories of disappointment and uncertainty could be found in several other places too. In the neighbouring Barpeta district, Saturday’s list meant troubles to a number of families.
One of them is Chandidas Saha, a 35-year-old businessman in the Barpeta Road town. For the Saha family, the final NRC suggested a possible separation if they could not prove their case in the upcoming appeal round.
“My daughter and I are included in the NRC whereas my mother and wife are not. Now, appealing before the Foreigners’ Tribunal is the only option for us to avoid a split in the family. But I believe we won’t go through such pain since we have the required papers,” he said with hope.
Despite the uncertainties, Chandidas’ mood was also echoed by several others who had been similarly struck off from the final NRC on Saturday. Some of the people who had been excluded showed awareness of the legal mechanism to approach in the coming days. Confident of the merit in their applications, many believed that ultimately they would all be proven as Indian citizens.
One such hopeful is 52-year-old Beauty Barman in the Bongaigaon district. Barman said that her family has been living in their village Barpathar for two generations now.
“I was born here. My father worked in this area for the electricity department of the state government. I have all the papers required to prove that. How can I be an illegal immigrant?” she asked.
According to Barman, her name was missing in the NRC because of a technical error. “I have come to know that I submitted a wrong document to show the linkage to my father. So I will submit a correct one while applying before the [Foreigners’} Tribunal this time. It should be accepted,” she said.
Serious questions have emerged from different quarters over the credibility of the final NRC outcome. Though their contentions vary over different aspects of the NRC, many organizations and even the ruling BJP government in Assam refuse to accept the current figure of inclusions and exclusions. While the window for appealing will begin shortly, it remains to be seen how the existing apparatus is strengthened to avoid possible cases of wrongful inclusions and exclusions.
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