NRC list may render many stateless: Amnesty

The Amnesty India International (AII) on Monday said the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process could end up in a render a "significant number of people stateless" and urged the government to unveil their plan on how to deal with such situation.

Emphasing that "millions stare at an uncertain future", the AII said, "it is possible that the process will arbitrarily deprive people, who have lived in India for decades, of their nationality. We urge the government to extend the time period for appeals and to ensure that all appeals are processed in transparent and non-discriminatory manner."

"Care should be taken to ensure that families are not torn apart, and appropriate legal aid should be provided to those who are at risk of losing their nationality. “The fate of those who may lose their nationality, as a consequence of this process, is unclear," it said in a statement.

Noting India does not even have an agreement with other countries, particularly Bangladesh, on deportation, it said it was crucial that the government make public their plan for dealing with those at risk of being rendered stateless and ensure that their rights are not violated.

The final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published on Monday with 2.9 crore out of the total 3.29 crore applicants in Assam finding their name in the list. Around 40 lakh people have not found their names in the list.

In a separate statement, a rights group 'Rights and Risks Analysis Group claimed that the NRC was the "biggest disenfranchisement exercise in human history".