NRC: Flood affected families refusing rescue in Assam

As the deadline for publication of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) is approaching, a peculiar situation is emerging in Assam.

Some families stranded in the flood-affected minority-dominated areas of Assam are resisting being rescued by emergency operators as they fear that abandoning their homes would be detrimental for them as it is an important marker of their identity proof, the Indian Express reported on Wednesday.

"The July 31 deadline for the publication of final NRC report could be one of the reasons that the people are scared to leave their homes", an official told IE. He also added that the people who are being rescued made sure that they have their documents intact.

More than 45 lakh people have been affected in 4,620 villages of the state, with 1,01,085 people taking refuge in 226 relief camps. As many as 562 distribution centres have been set up for providing relief to the affected people.

Also Read: Assam gears up for post-NRC ‘crisis’

An additional draft NRC was published last month for the people whose names were included in the final draft NRC published on 30th July 2018 but were later found ineligible.

The NRC was first published in 1951 to keep a record of the citizens and their possessions. Updating the NRC was demanded later during the Assam agitation by the people of the state whose names were not included in the list.

Also Read: Another 1.02 lakh names dropped from NRC in Assam

According to The Citizenship Act of 1955, the people who are able to prove that they have been in Assam since Jan 1, 1996, will be allowed to stay in the state.