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People left out from NRC are scared about their future in Assam

On 31st August of 2019, the final list of NRC was published which included 31.1 million people and excluded 1.9 million people from the registry. The NRC in Assam was carried out in Assam under section 4A of Citizenship (citizenship and issue of national identity) Rule, 2003 which laid down that those who were left out from the NRC final list can move to appeal in Foreigner's tribunal within 120 days from the date of recieving the rejection slip.

The left out people waited for the rejection slip but the government seemed to have paid no importance about issuing the rejection slip. Although the Foreigners Act of 1946 and Foreigners tribunal order of 1964 lays down that " the foreigners tribunal has only power to decide citizenship of a person" and thus non inclusion from NRC doesn't make one stateless but the statements of the ministers and State BJP presidents over the last one year has left a question mark about the fair proceeding in Foreigner's Tribunal deruing the appeal.

After the publication many organisations opposed the number of excluded from the list. They assumed much bigger number and eventually the government also started speaking against the NRC outcome. They said many illegal persons had got their names into the final list and filled a plea in the supreme Court seeking 20% verification in the final list in bordering District but that was rejected by the apex court.

Now people who are left out from the NRC are upset about their present status and dreadful about their future because when there comes a matter of citizenship, a person not only thinks of himself but for his descendant's future also. The reason of their dreadfullness is because when the government over the years has been expressing their anguish over the number that came out in NRC final list how can they allow it to reduce after the appeals in Foreigner's tribunal. Although foreigner's tribunal are independent quasi judicial body but it has been alleged many times by the Bar associations itself that they function under the direct influence of the state government.

These are the thoughts which keeps floating around the minds of the genuine people who couldn't make their names into the final lists. Now in this crisis of Covid 19 when the entire world is scared about the outbreak of the infectious desease, the left out persons from NRC is scared about their future only.

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