4 million people may lose Indian citizenship

More than 4 million people in the northeastern state of Assam fear they will be stripped off their citizenship after their names were excluded from a list the Indian government published on Monday.

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) list is unique to Assam. It was first tabulated in 1951, four years after independence from British rule, to distinguish Indian citizens from illegal migrants from bordering Bangladesh, which was then part of Pakistan.

In 2015, the government began a process of updating the list. The new list includes only those people or their descendants who entered India till midnight of March 24, 1971, when Bangladesh became an independent state.

The first draft of the list published on Monday leaves out 4 million people, said officials.

Most of the people excluded from the list are Muslims, raising fears among the community that they are being targeted unfairly by the Hindu nationalist government.

In order to prevent communal violence the state government has beefed up security.

Authorities have asked people to maintain peace arguing that everyone will get a chance to plead their case.

Addressing a press conference in the state capital Guwahati, Registrar General of India, Sailesh said that the process of filing objections would begin on Aug. 30 and continue till Sept. 30.

Satyendra Garg, a senior Home Ministry official, who was also present at the media briefing, said no one would be sent to detention camps.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal tweeted on Sunday: “I reiterate that no genuine Indian citizen will be devoid of their citizenship rights. So no one should panic after publication of the final draft of NRC...”

Indian Parliament on Monday saw protests by several opposition parties. The parliament’s Raja Sabha, council of states, had to be adjourned twice following uproar by opposition parties over the matter.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh in a statement issued in New Delhi on Monday said: “This is only a draft and not the final NRC."

All India United Democratic Front, a political party which represents the minorities, especially the Muslims, has expressed shock at the outcome.

"At the moment we are appealing to the people to maintain peace and harmony. We are law abiding citizens. But we will definitely approach the court," AIUDF general-secretary Aminul Islam told Anadolu Agency.