NRC 'apathy' finger at govt

TT, Cooch Behar: District CPM leaders here trained guns on the Trinamul government, accusing it of not taking any initiative for Bengal natives who live in Assam and haven't been included in the National Citizens Register (NRC) draft.

Such people include women married to families in Assam and those settled there because of jobs and other engagements. The leaders said many such people were running to pillar and post to obtain documents to prove their Indian citizenship.

"We have information that around 30,000 such people from Cooch Behar and neighbouring districts of north Bengal who stay in Assam have not found their names in the NRC. The documents of only a few people sent from Assam were verified by the Bengal government. Despite being aware of their problems, the government here did not make concerted efforts to help these people get documents for NRC," said Mahananda Saha, a senior CPM leader.

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Saha cited the examples of Rupa and Jayashree, both sisters hailing from Kalabagan in Cooch Behar town. "Both used to stay in my ward with their mother and got married in Guwahati. None has her name in the NRC. Now Rupa is here with husband Biswajit, running around government offices to collect documents," Saha, also a local councillor, said. The Telegraph met the couple and they confirmed Saha's claim.

"Many women have been sent back to parents' place by in-laws and told to return with documents," said Saha.