Day 6 – Q 5.Why has the National Register of Citizens (NRC) been in controversy lately? Are the apprehensions concerning NRC justified? Critically comment.

5. Why has the National Register of Citizens (NRC) been in controversy lately? Are the apprehensions concerning NRC justified? Critically comment.

हाल ही में नागरिकों का राष्ट्रीय रजिस्टर (NRC) विवादों में क्यों रहा है? क्या NRC से संबंधित आशंकाएँ उचित हैं? समालोचनात्मक टिप्पणी करें।

Introduction

The National register of citizens is a register containing names of all genuine Indians residing in India. Assam faced influx from Bangladesh, to remove the illegal migration from neighbouring countries NRC as prepared in 1951.

Body

Controversies related to the National Register of Citizens (NRC):

• Laborious process: Adding a person to NRC is complex procedure because of presenting many documents and layers of verification.
• Document verification: “Family tree verification” has become difficult process for left out children.
• Rejection of certificate: More than 40 lakh people are rejected for panchayath residency certificates.
• Citizenship related: Failed to ensure legal clarity over the manner in which the claims of citizenship could be decided.
• Role of Supreme Court: lack of monitoring process, inability to comprehend political and policy actions in case of loss of citizenship.
• Huge population: Given the size of India’s population, implementation of the NRC will be a mammoth task and demands a detailed analysis.

Benefits of NRC:

• Detection of illegal immigrants, inclusion will be a shield against harassment and a ticket to enjoying all the constitutional rights and safeguards and the benefits of government schemes.
• To safeguard the indigenous population and civilization.
• Illegal activities like terrorism, human trafficking, drug trafficking can be checked.
• To safeguard Voting rights and properties such as land and house.

Criticism of the NRC:

• The first report was announced on December 31-January 1, 2017, the removal of 40 lakh people leads to a major social and political crisis.
•  The mass insecurity and social crisis stalking the 40 lakh people of Assam.
• Many people are in stake who lives in strategic and sensitive border state. Their documents are being ambiguous.
• Assam has a peculiar problem of villages getting ravaged, or disappearing, due to annual floods unleashed by the fiery Brahamaputra. Documents get destroyed, geographies shift, addresses change.
• Several cases of transparent injustice whereby families have been divided – some declared Doubtful Voters and foreigners, others as bonafide citizens.
• Widespread perception that specifically linguistic and religious minorities are being targeted – namely, Bengali speaking Muslims and Hindus.

Conclusion

It is important and essential for the union government to proactively come out with an equitable, predictable and transparent plan on the way forward, for those who will be identified as ‘foreigners’. The left out from the NRC must be handled carefully on humanitarian basis.