Cheers in upper Assam, silence in Barak Valley

GUWAHATI/DIBRUGARH/SILCHAR: The updated draft of the National Register of Citizens, which was released on Monday, elicited contrasting reactions from different parts of Assam.

While All Assam Students' Union (Aasu) celebrated the publishing of the draft, the mood was sombre in the Barak valley where four lakh people failed to make it to the registry.

Aasu, which had spearheaded the anti-foreigners movement that led to the signing of the Assam Accord in 1985, said the NRC fulfilled the aspirations of the people. Even as about 40 lakh people failed to make the list, Aasu said it was looking forward to the final NRC which would be a significant step towards getting rid of illegal Bangladeshi migrants from the state.

"After the publication of the final draft NRC, we are certain that the problem of illegal influx in Assam, especially from Bangladesh, will be resolved. We have faith in the NRC and strongly believe that not a single illegal migrant will make it to the final NRC," Aasu president Dipanka Kumar Nath told TOI.

A statement issued by Aasu chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya, Nath and general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi said the students' body was satisfied with the NRC and wholeheartedly welcomed it. The students' body was in a celebratory mood on Monday as it distributed sweets among Aasu functionaries and indigenous organisations.

In upper Assam, publication of the NRC was welcomed as a "historic occasion". The moment was marked by jubilation at the Aasu office in Dibrugarh as elated members burst firecrackers and danced to the beat of the drum to celebrate the moment.

"It is a historic day for the people of Assam. The NRC is the result of sacrifices of people who lost their lives during the Assam Movement. We would expect the Centre to deport illegal migrants once the final NRC process is over," Aasu Dibrugarh district president Likhon Baruah said.

All Moran Students' Union president Arunjyoti Moran said, "The NRC is the first step towards making our state free from illegal immigrants. The Centre should come up with a clear-cut formula on how to deal with people who ultimately fail the citizenship test."

The mood was, however, sombre in the Barak valley where four lakh citizens failed to make it to the NRC. This was a significant improvement from the first draft where 24 lakh people - out of the 41 lakh who had applied - were left out. Absence of names of prominent citizens left many surprised.

There were no reports of any untoward incident in the Barak valley. Cachar DC S Laxmanan told reporters at his office that this was a historic moment for all the people of India and residents of Assam.