NRC rush tells on bank Fear of an impending NRC in Bengal

Soumya De Sarkar, TT, 10.12.19, Malda: A nationalised bank was ransacked at Harishchandrapur on Monday by people who gathered for corrections in their Aadhaar cards after they were allegedly told that not more than 50 applications could be processed a day.

The scramble for the Aadhaar correction has been attributed to the fear of an impending NRC in Bengal.

Although officials of the Union Bank of India on Bhaluka Road branch escaped unhurt, the building’s exterior and the ATM counter were damaged.

On Monday morning, over 5,000 people had gathered in front of the bank where the process of amending particulars in Aadhaar was going on.

“Many of them even slept under canopy near the bank so that they don’t miss the queue. But when some contractual employees of the bank told them that only 50 such cases would be entertained, they started hurling stones at the bank,” said Ziaur Rahman, a local resident.

Several people in Malda apprehend that if their particulars in the Aadhaar cards are not correct, they might not find their names in the NRC. They are queuing up at banks and post offices where such corrections are being made. They are even spending wintry nights outside such centres to get their Aadhaar details corrected at the earliest.

M. Hansda, the bank manager, said: “Forms for correction were issued to 30 persons. But a large number of people were there and they all wanted the forms which led to violence.”

He refused to comment on the loss of bank properties.

The scramble for the Aadhaar corrections triggered a demand for more centres to amend the particulars. However, Malda district administrative officials said any such decision had to be taken by the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India).

“The district administration has no option of dealing with particulars of Aadhaar cards. It is entirely the job of the UIDAI,” said Rajarshi Mitra, district magistrate of Malda.

Sanjay Das, the inspector–in–charge of Harishchandrapur police station, said: “Police intervened on time to prevent damage to properties inside the bank. An ATM was partially damaged.”