Call for Comprehensive Review of NRC Amid Concerns Over Foreign Nationals
Concerns Raised Over NRC Inclusion Errors
Guwahati, July 27: The inclusion of numerous foreign nationals in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) has raised alarms, particularly as some indigenous individuals were omitted. Hitesh Dev Sarma, the former state coordinator of the NRC, emphasized the necessity for a complete re-evaluation of the citizenship records.
In an interview, Sarma revealed that during his tenure as state coordinator, he conducted sample verifications in regions such as Dalgaon and Baghbar, uncovering an alarming 40 percent error rate. He stated, “While a one or two percent error might be tolerable, a 40 percent error is completely unacceptable.”
Sarma highlighted that approximately 1.32 million individuals were added to the NRC without proper document verification, which he deemed inappropriate. He also noted that around 64,000 individuals in the Chamaria block were incorrectly classified as original inhabitants, asserting that these individuals are likely immigrants, as indigenous populations do not reside in char areas.
When asked about the number of foreign nationals included in the NRC, Sarma indicated that while it is challenging to determine an exact figure, sample surveys suggest that between 6 to 7 million foreign names may have been registered.
He expressed concerns regarding the potential for data manipulation, citing instances where both verification officers and data entry personnel belonged to the same community. Sarma criticized the software used for NRC preparation, pointing out its significant flaws. He noted that once data was entered, there was no quality control process overseen by senior officials, allowing some individuals to improperly include foreign names in the NRC.
Sarma mentioned that he had raised these issues back in 2016 when he served as the executive director of the NRC, but his warnings were ignored by the then state coordinator.
He further stated that the exclusion of indigenous names was also a result of insufficient quality checks. Additionally, he criticized the practice of requiring individuals to travel to different districts for document verification, arguing that everyone should have been allowed to verify their documents within their own districts.