No NRC in Bengal, no one will be driven out: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said no one can drive out a single person from the state, reiterating that there will be no NRC in Bengal.

Her comments come on a day when yet another person allegedly committed suicide in fear of NRC in the state after he was unable to find required documents.

“Some are spreading panic by saying the people will be required to produce documents dating back to 1971 and are making false claims of NRC in Bengal... there will be no NRC in Bengal... no one can drive out a single person from Bengal,” said Mamata, speaking at a government program in West Medinipur district.

Earlier in the day, one person, a resident of Jalpaiguri district, allegedly committed suicide after he was unable to find documents required for the NRC. According to his family members, the person named Saber Ali jumped into a well on Tuesday morning. They also said that he was anxious about the NRC issue for the last couple of days.

However, despite the chief minister's assurance, panic over NRC seemed to be spreading in West Bengal. Large queues can seen in front of the government, municipal and panchayat offices, as people flock to collect their birth certificates and other required documents.

“There will be no NRC in Bengal. We are requesting people not to panic. We will never allow NRC to be conducted in Bengal,” said Urban Development Minister and Mayor of Kolkata Firhad Hakim.

However, BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha, in a tweet, alleged that panic over the NRC is being caused by the chief minister.

“The panic related to NRC was spread by @MamataOfficial. She took out rallies against it. So she should take responsibility for any deaths due to fear of NRC in Bengal as she & her party have created an atmosphere of fear related to NRC,” tweeted Sinha.

He claimed that the six people in Bengal did not die in fear of NRC but due to family reasons.