Assam's policy is to deport foreigners even if their names feature in NRC: Himanta

Guwahati, Jun 11 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that the state government's current policy is to push back foreigners even if their names are found in the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The way the NRC was carried out in Assam leaves a lot of scope for doubt and it cannot be the only document for determining a person's citizenship, Sarma claimed.

The NRC, an official record of bonafide Indian citizens living in Assam, was updated under the supervision of the Supreme Court and released on August 31, 2019, leaving out more than 19 lakh applicants. However, it has not been notified by the Registrar General of India, leaving the controversial document without any official validity.

''Many people had entered their names in the NRC by using unfair means. So we have adopted the policy of pushing back (foreigners) if the authorities are absolutely convinced that the person concerned is a foreigner,'' the CM said on the sidelines of a programme in Darrang.

A large number of people were picked up from across Assam since last month on suspicion of being doubtful citizens as part of a nationwide drive, and many of them were pushed back to Bangladesh. Some of them returned after the neighbouring nation refused to accept them as their citizens.

''Personally, I am not convinced that the presence of a name in the NRC alone is enough to determine that someone is not an illegal migrant,'' he added.

Asked whether a section of officials did not carry out the NRC exercise with due diligence, Sarma said that is a possibility.

"But the 'people who were involved in the manipulation of entering the names of illegal migrants were much more clever and intelligent,'' he said.

Sarma alleged that social activist and author Harsh Mander had camped in Assam for two years and had sent some youth from the state to America and England for education and encouraged them to manipulate the NRC.

''We had not realised at that time about these conspiracies. These matters came to my knowledge after I became the chief minister,'' Sarma added.

He said that on Tuesday night, 19 people were pushed back and most likely nine others would be deported tonight.

''This will continue in Assam but it is also a fact that we cannot push back lakhs of people. We will do as much as we can,'' Sarma said.

Sarma on several occasions has said that the state government and several other organisations were "not satisfied’ with the NRC and the state government had approached the Supreme Court for re-verification of 20-10 per cent names in various categories of districts.

He said that though the apex court has not agreed to it yet, “we believe it will accept it”.

Citing a recent Supreme Court order delinking the NRC with the foreigner identification process, he said it will help intensify action against illegal migrants.

Sarma, during the special assembly session on June 9, replying to issues of detection and deportation of foreigners, had said the state government will implement the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, for the purpose, which allows the District Commissioners to declare illegal immigrants and evict them. PTI DG DG NN