MLA among 19 lakh excluded from NRC in Assam

Guwahati: Some prominent faces of Assam, including a Kargil veteran, a sitting and an ex-MLA were among the 19 lakh people, who found themselves excluded from the final NRC, which was released here on Saturday.

Kargil war veteran and retired army officer Mohammad Sanaullah, who spent a few days in detention in May this year after being declared a 'foreigner' by a Foreigners' Tribunal was excluded from the updated list.

Sanaullah's two daughters and a son were reportedly not included, though his wife's name appeared in the list, which validates bona fide Indian citizens in Assam.

Ananta Kumar Malo, a sitting All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA from Abhayapuri South constituency, and former AIUDF legislator Ataur Rahman Mazharbhuyan who represented the Katigora constituency in the Assembly between 2006 and 2011 were also not included in the list.

"I and my brother filed the same data. But while the NRC document included my brother's name, my name was excluded," said Malo and added, he would soon approach the Foreigners' Tribunal.

Mazharbhuyan also expressed shock on not finding his, his two daughters and a son's name in the NRC. "The draft NRC included my entire family, but for me, two daughters and the son. As we received summons, we went to the NRC Seva Kendra and submitted all the relevant documents," he said.

"The Constitution defines who is a citizen of India and I have all the necessary documents to prove it. I have been a two time MLA from Katigora. This is harassment and the NRC is flawed," Mazarbhuyan said.

The former MLA said he would take legal option and go to the Foreigners' Tribunal to get his name included in the NRC.

Authorities on Saturday published the final NRC list, which excluded 19,06,657 and included 3,11,21,004 persons in the final document.

In a twist of fate a school teacher who was deputed in an NRC Seva Kendra (NSK) in the city failed the citizenship test.

Declining to identify herself, the woman said she has been working in the NSK for the past three years and had presented all necessary documents - her father's legacy data, her education qualification certificates as well as the service documents of her father, who works with Indian Oil Corporation, to prove her citizenship.

In Silchar Rabindra Debroy, the former publisher of the daily 'Gati', said he was excluded from the final NRC despite having legacy data of 1955 and 1971.

"The names of my wife and other family members were included," the 74-year-old said.

Phulendra Das, who visited the Morowa NRC Sewa Kendra expressed resentment over exclusion of his name as well as those of his family members.

Das said they were invited for hearing to Mukalmua where they produced all their documents but their names were not included in the final NRC.

"I am a daily wage labourer. How can my poor family fight the legal battle to get our names in the NRC?" he asked.

Sixty-five-year-old Lila Rani Dey, a retired nurse of Assam health department who hails from Hailakandi district, is frustrated at the exclusion of her name even after she had provided the citizenship certificate of her father.

Names of her brothers and sisters were, however, included in the document.

Usha Devi Todi, a widow living with her son at Dhubri town, too found herself out of the list.

"I am a poor widow and therefore it is not possible for me to continue the legal fight to include my name", she said in despair.

The government has stated that those excluded from the list would neither be arrested not declared foreigners. The excluded people would have to approach the Foreigners' Tribunal to prove their citizenship. They can move higher courts later if not satisfied with the tribunal's verdict, it said.

(With inputs from PTI and IANS)