Amid the protests over the CAA loom in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) has excluded 7 lakh Muslims and 8.5 lakh Hindus from the list.
During an interview, Sarma disclosed that among the excluded Hindus, approximately 2 lakh belong to various Assamese Hindu groups such as Koch-Rajbongshi, Das, Kalita, and Sarma (Assamese), while 1.5 lakh are Gorkhas.
The NRC, which was published on August 31, 2019, aimed to distinguish Indian citizens from undocumented immigrants residing in Assam. To be included in the list, residents had to prove that they or their ancestors entered Assam before midnight on March 24, 1971. However, over 19 lakh individuals, constituting 5.77% of applicants were left out of the final list.
The Chief Minister's disclosure brings the total of those left out to 15.5 lakh, leaving a puzzling 3.5 lakh unaccounted for. Sarma previously stated that a significant portion of those excluded had migrated from Bangladesh before 1971 due to religious persecution.
Sarma mentioned that 3 lakh to 6 lakh of those excluded from the NRC could potentially apply for citizenship under the recently notified Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rules, which aim to expedite Indian citizenship for refugees from six minority religious communities, excluding Muslims, from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
However, Sarma expressed scepticism, stating that the CAA might face challenges in Assam, with the state expected to witness the lowest number of applications under the Act.
Sarma highlighted that those who did not apply for inclusion in the NRC are unlikely to apply for citizenship under the CAA either. He emphasized the Act's cut-off date, requiring evidence of entry into the country before December 31, 2014.
While the NRC exercise has been limited to Assam thus far, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had previously announced plans to implement a nationwide NRC process.