New Delhi: A week before Assam releases the second draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Union home ministry has asked the state government, and neighbouring states, to ensure law and order in the region after the draft is released.
“Assam has been advised to set up a state-level coordination committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary to ensure coordination among state agencies, NRC authorities and central agencies. Round-the-clock control rooms at the state capital and district headquarters are to be activated to receive complaints and coordinate prompt response,” the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
The ministry has also instructed the Registrar General of India (RGI) “to use all means of communication, including websites, toll-free numbers, SMSes, etc., to provide information to public about the draft NRC.”
On Sunday, home minister Rajnath Singh had set out to assuage the fears gripping the state.
Following the January release of the first draft of the NRC, comprising 19 million names out of the state’s 32.9 million population, residents whose names were not part of the list feared action. “The NRC is being updated in Assam in accordance with the Assam Accord signed on 15 August, 1985. The entire process is being carried out as per directions of the Supreme Court, which is constantly monitoring the process,” Singh said.
Even as the Centre said that the second draft was not set in stone, Singh added that “adequate opportunity for claims and objections will be available, and all claims and objections will be duly examined”, before the final list is published.