NRC ISSUE COMES ALIVE AGAIN IN EASTERN INDIA

Nava Thakuria

Something interesting is happening in north-eastern region as Manipur starts agitating for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC, 1951), the Supreme Court of India admitted a petition for reviewing the NRC (updated in Assam, but not yet endorsed by the Registrar General of India/ RGI) and the Directorate of Enforcement (widely known as ED) reportedly registered a case against the financial mismanagement that took place during the Assam NRC updating (May 2014 to October 2019) process.

With more to it, Union home minister Amit Shah on 26 August 2026 reiterated the central government’s commitment to deal with the illegal migrants with strong hands. Addressing a conference in New Delhi, where attendees included senior officials from security agencies, central armed police forces, State and Union Territory police chiefs, etc, Shah declared that the illegal entrants would be dealt with by the concerned law. In fact, a nationwide screening to identify the unauthorized people across India is speculated to be undertaken by the government in recent days.

Meanwhile Manipur, which is burning time and again since May 2023, has witnessed a series of massive public demonstrations to insist on updating the NRC ahead of Census-2027. Over 250 people were killed and thousands displaced following the ongoing clashes between the majority Meitei and Kuki-Zo community people. The house-to-house digital survey in Manipur, beginning on 1 September next, but a large section of Manipuri residents launched the agitation to update the NRC prior to it. They argue that with the help of census data, many illegal migrants (read Myanmarese) would enroll their names in the citizenship list.

The pro-NRC movement, led by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) and supported by civil-society organizations, women and student- youth bodies of Manipur has spread beyond the Imphal valley, which is dominated by the Hindu Meiteis, as the Naga groups also extended support, unlike the Kuki-Zo people. Manipur chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh also backed the NRC, whereas the State legislative assembly passed a unanimous resolution in 2022 favouring an NRC before Census. Khemchand’s predecessor and another Bharatiya Janata Party leader Biren Singh had recently briefed HM Shah in the national capital about the importance of NRC in Manipur prior to the census activities.

But the NRC updating process in Assam embraced unnecessary chaos and confusion, while a responsible senior Assamese official approached the apex court for its complete reverification. Former NRC Assam coordinator Hitesh Devsarma now seeks a comprehensive and time-bound verification of the draft and supplementary NRC, which was seemingly prepared under the supervision of the SC. Devsarma in his personal capacity (as well as on behalf of a large section of indigenous people in Assam) approached the highest court, which subsequently issued notices to the central government, Assam government, NRC State coordinator and the RGI. He alleged that the process was full of errors and irregularities and it would create serious security implications in the country.

It may be mentioned that a draft NRC (for Assam) was published on 30 July 2018 and later a supplementary list was released on 31 August 2019. The list left over 19 lakh applicants, who either did not apply or submitted unauthentic documents. Amazingly the then NRC Assam coordinator Prateek Hajela publicized it as the final one even though it was beyond his capacity.

Now Devsarma raises concern that many illegal migrants (read Bangladeshi Muslims) were incorporated in the NRC list through manipulated software and personal corruption by some employees including his predecessor Hajela (who is now enjoying VRS facility from Assam administration). He put personal experience on the front stating that many individuals were termed as originally inhabitant (OI, meaning they are natural citizens of India and don’t need submission of any document) in Kamrup district, whereas they all were immigrants from Bangladesh.

Devsarma also raised concern that many individuals could not pass the ‘family tree matching’ criteria, but their names were included in the last NRC list. Apprehending that foreign money (from Islamic countries) was pumped in Assam NRC updation to incorporate the names of illegal Bangladeshi nationals. So Devsarma also demanded a National Investigation Agency probe to unearth the scam that would finally threaten the national security of India. Highlighting that the credibility of the process (after many serious omissions and commissions) was affected and hence he sought an urgent judicial intervention. Amazingly, another petition in the apex court has appealed for issuing citizenship certificates to those, whose names were included in the NRC list, probably interpreting it (by the petitioners Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and All Assam Minority Students’ Union) as a final official document. Now both the cases are expected to be heard in the court by the end of September.

Engagement of ED made the NRC updating process more messy as no less than Rs 260 crore were mismanaged (as stated by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India). The CAG report on social, economic and general sectors for the year ending on 31 March 2020 detected the irregularities that took place during the NRC updation, for which the Centre spent Rs 1600 crore. It also recommended penal actions against Hajela and the system integrator (Wipro Limited). The people of Assam may remember a book on NRC, which was penned by an Assam-based television journalist lavishly praising Hajela for his ‘excellent work’ in the exercise. The talk show host, who was named and shamed on social media as one of the NRC scam beneficiaries some months back, regularly parroted the Hajela version that it was the final NRC and the people of Assam should (must) accept it without any further verification. It’s not known what motivated the outspoken scribe to speak that language, but surely it would harm the interest of indigenous population of Assam including other parts of eastern India. ( The writer is a Guwahati-based journalist and media columnist)