Statuses of 3.30 crore people who were part of the NRC exercise in Assam that was meant to root out illegal immigrants in the state has been published online. More than 19 lakh people whose names were excluded from the NRC on August 31 and, over the next few months, will have to prove their citizenship at foreigners' tribunals, which are quasi-judicial bodies that will decide their fates.
All those who had applied for the inclusion of their names in the NRC list and have a valid ARN number can check their final status at nrcassam.nic.in. The list includes names of those who have been accepted as the citizens of Assam. Individuals whose appeals are pending have been excluded from the list. Names of family members can also be checked in the final list that has been published online.
The draft version of the list, which was published in July, excluded more than 40 lakh people or 12.15 per cent of Assam's population.
The Centre has withdrawn 10,000 paramilitary personnel deployed in Assam before the publication of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC), officials said on Saturday.
The decision was taken as there has been no violence in Assam ever since the NRC, which validates bonafide Indian citizens of the northeastern state, was published on August 31, they said. The updated final NRC excluded names of 19 lakh applicants.
The National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam was rolled out following a "non-discriminatory" process. Raveesh Kumar, the spokesperson in the ministry, asserted that there was no bias or prejudice against those whose names did not figure in the final NRC.
Non-inclusion of a person's name in the final list of the NRC does not by itself amount to him/her being declared a foreigner. And, as per the Foreigners Act, 1946 and Foreigners Tribunal Order, 1964, only the tribunals are empowered to declare a person as a foreigner.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, had indicated to Home Minister Amit Shah last month, that the state could be open to challenging the final NRC.