NE states wary of migrant spillover as Assam updates NRC

GUWAHATI: The partial publication of the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam has made neighbouring northeastern states wary of those likely to be identified as non-indians sneaking into their territories.

The NRC is being updated for the first time since 1951, and those under the scanner are Bangladeshi nationals who entered the state after March 25, 1971. Illegal migrants will be identified and deported in accordance with the Assam Accord of 1985.

Assam’s neighbours fear that even if a fraction of those with problematic papers are declared as non-citizens, they might sneak into their territories. “The police superintendents of all border districts have been alerted and told to liaise with their Assam counterparts in connection with the NRC,” said Arunachal Pradesh director general of police Sandeep Goel.

In Meghalaya, the Khasi Students’ Union and youth wings of regional political parties sought the state government’s intervention to ensure the “safety of the indigenous population” after the final NRC is published in Assam.

Nagaland has also stepped up measures to prevent an “invasion” of Bangladeshi migrants.

The first draft published on December 31 established 19 million people out of 32.9 million as legal residents.