The AIUDF expressed its suspicion that the state government might have put pressure on the National Register of Citizens (NRC) authorities to derail the process citing the example of serving thousands of notices within a short period of time.
AIUDF general secretary Aminul Islam said that it’s deep inconvenience for the lower Assam people who have been served notice to be present for hearing in the faraway upper Assam towns in 24 to 36 hours.
He also hinted that the state government might put pressure on the NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela in this regard.
“With the shocking incidents taking place in some selected places in the state, we are bound to think that, some forces with vested interests are working to derail the process of the NRC update. How can a poor family say from a rural Barpeta village will go to Sivasagar within 24 or even 36 hours? It’s a deep inconvenience for those poor families,” Islam said.
He said that at least 25,000 people have been served notice at several ‘selected’ areas in South Kamrup and Barpeta and have been asked to be present for hearing within 24 to 36 hours.
“After the Supreme Court rejected the plea of the Centre and state government for the re-verification in the last hearing, how so suddenly such a huge number of notices are served to these lower Assam people. When the notice is served, the entire family have to be present at the hearing. There are some families who may not have moved out of Barpeta town and how will they arrange to go to that far in such a short time? For a poor family it’s a huge burden. They (NRC authorities) could have conducted the hearing within the district or even in the neighbouring districts. We smell something fishy here,” Islam added.
On asked who they suspect to be behind the conspiracy, Islam said that as the NRC coordinator Hajela is an employee of the state government, it might play a role here.
He further went on to say that if things continue to be so, there is very unlikely to get an error-free NRC.
Earlier, former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi too brought similar allegations against the ruling BJP for not being sincere enough.
