NRC: Relief for some, anxiety for many others People flock to check names in list

Women at a cyber cafe in Doomdooma wait to see their names in the NRC final list. Picture by Manoj Kumar Ojha

Manoj Kumar Ojha , TT, 2 September 2019,  Doomdooma: People in and around this Upper Assam town in Tinsukia district were seen flocking to cyber cafes on Sunday to check their status in the final NRC released on Saturday.

They were mostly poor and unaware that the NRC had already been released. They came to know about its publication from well-wishers and news on Saturday night.

Most of the people checked their Application Receipt Number (ARN) on mobile handsets or from the Internet.

As the NSKs were closed on Sunday, the people went to cyber cafes and checked their status online.

Jamila Begum was one of them. She could not sleep at night. She was praying so that she and her family members’ names were included in the list. But, their names were excluded from the list.

“I am a poor widow. My sons and daughters are illiterate and not in a position to do something. What will I do now?” she wondered.

This correspondent found that those excluded feared that they would be declared “foreigners” and put behind bars. The government, however, announced that those not in the list would not be treated as foreigners unless the foreigners tribunals (FTs) declared them so. Nor will they be detained under any circumstances unless the FTs declare them “foreigners”. The government has given them 120 days to appeal to the FTs.

Over 19 lakh applicants found their names dropped from the final list of the NRC. A statement issued by the NRC office here said out of total 3,30,27,661 applicants, 19,06,657 were left out of the updated NRC following scrutiny of their documents and hearings. A total of 3,11,21,004 persons figured in the list.

“Will they put me in jail now? How can they drop our names when we had submitted the correct legacy data?” Jamila asked.

Raj Dey, another person, said: “My name has been included in the list but my younger brother’s name has been excluded. I will move the court now.”

Tarapada Roy, 65, a watchmaker at Borhapjan, has been excluded from the list. A frustrated Roy told this correspondent: “Leaving other essential work, I went for the hearing many a time. I have submitted my school certificate from Doomdooma of 1953. Yet they excluded me and my family members from the list. Why did not they say during the hearing that my application had been rejected? I suppose hearing was held merely to harass us. I am a genuine citizen and will move the court now. I have accepted that a peaceful life is not possible here.”

Sheikh Ahmed Jan and Nizam Mansoori were happy after the cyber cafe informed them that they had been included in the list.

Another person, Junab, said, “I am happy and satisfied. The verification was true on the basis of documents. I have heaved a great sigh of relief.”

On the other hand, Nizam Mansoori, a chicken shop owner said he is planning to give a dawat (party) because his name figured in the list.

" Due to Sunday the NRC Sewa Kendra was closed in Tinsukia " Sanjib Kumar Phukan, ACS , CO , Tinsukia told The Telegraph over phone on Sunday evening.