Assam urges other northeast states to ensure commuters’ safety

GUWAHATI : The Assam government has urged neighbouring Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland to ensure that interstate commuters are not harassed over the National Register of Citizens.
Interstate commuters in the Northeast are facing harassment at check points in some places following the publication of the NRC. They are asked to show NRC and other identity documents.

A few organisations in Assam have warned that they would also carry out a similar exercise as a retaliatory measure if other states don’t stop it.

“Since the NRC process is on and the government has stated that those left out can file claims and objection, there will be no deportation or curtailment of any right of these people” just because their names are not in the draft, Pallab Bhattacharyya, special director general of police (special branch), told ET.

So, he said, there must not be any kind of harassment to the people travelling to other states. Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal talked to his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma over the phone and requested him to take urgent measures for ensuring smooth movement of people and vehicles of Assam passing through Meghalaya.

Sonowal informed the Meghalaya CM that he had brought the matter to the notice of Union home minister Rajnath Singh. Sonowal talked also to Singh. The Meghalaya CM assured Sonowal necessary measures in this regard.

Meghalaya home minister James Sangma had asserted that the state government was taking all measures to ensure that there was no spill over of immigrants from Assam to Meghalaya.

Meanwhile, the Khasi Students' Union met the Meghalaya CM and submitted a proposal for an Assam-type NRC. The students’ body has set up infiltration check gates in three districts, where documents of people coming from other states are checked.

Thousands of commuters move to the tourist spots of Shillong and other places in Meghalaya every day.