Assam opposition MLA and Ex-soldier left out of citizens' list

Ananta Kumar Malo, a member of the legislative assembly (MLA) from Assam's All India United Democratic Front, is among the 19 lakh people whose names have been left out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) that was published by the government this morning.

All India United Democratic Front is  the second-most powerful opposition party in the state.

Ananta Kumar Malo found out this morning that he is among the 19 lakh people who have been left out of the list.

Mohd Sanaullah, the retired Indian Army junior commissioned officer (JCO), who hogged media limelight earlier this year when he was declared a foreigner by a Foreigners’ Tribunal in Assam and sent to detention camp, was hoping against hope that he and his entire family would make the final cut.

However, when the final NRC came out this morning, his name as also names of his two daughters and a son went are also missing from the list. However, Sanaullah’s wife figured in the document.

Sanaullah said he would wait for the High Court to decide his appeal before considering his next move.

He also said he had hoped for “some last-minute change” making his inclusion in the NRC possible, but that did not happen.

NRC list was published aiming to identify legal residents and weed out illegal immigrants from Assam. 3.11 crore people have been included in today's list.

The centre has said people whose names don't appear in the NRC cannot be declared foreigners till all legal options are exhausted. Every person left out of the NRC can appeal to the Foreigners Tribunal, and the time limit to file the appeal has been extended from 60 to 120 days.

At least 1,000 tribunals will be set up in phases to hear disputes, the Home Ministry said. 100 tribunals are already open and 200 more will be set up in the first week of September. If one loses the case in the tribunal, one can approach the high court and then the Supreme Court. 

The Assam government has ruled out detention of people who do not figure in the list "in any circumstances" till the time Foreigners Tribunals declare them foreigners.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will hold a review meeting on the citizens' list at 3:00pm.

The NRC has immense significance for the people of Assam as the state witnessed a six-year-long movement between 1979 to 1985 seeking detection and deportation of illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

This is the second such list published in the country after 1951. Coming just weeks after the government ended Jammu and Kashmir's decades-old special status, the NRC too is expected to go down as one of the biggest moves in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's second term.

Source: ndtv/thedailystar