August 31 NRC cannot be final: Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha

GUWAHATI: Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha(ASM), which is an umbrella organisation of several indigenous ethnic organisations, said that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) which will be published on August 31 cannot be the final citizens’ registry.

ASM has challenged the constitutional validity of March 25, 1971 as the base year for identifying foreigners. ASM has been demanding that 1951 be set as the base year for determining citizenship at par with the rest of India.

As per the Assam accord, which was inked after a six-year long foreigners movement, the date of detection and deportation of foreigners is March 25, 1971 irrespective of religious affiliation. While for rest of India the date of detection and deportation of foreigners in 1951.


ASM working President Motiur Rahman said, “Until the constitution bench gives its verdict on our petitions, the NRC that will be released on August 31 cannot be the final one. Our petitions are currently pending with the constitution bench”.

ASM along with the National Democratic Front of Boroland (Progressive) and Indigenous Tribal People’s Front, in 2012, filed the petition in the Supreme Court challenging section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 amended in 1985. Section 6A has the provision for granting citizenship taking March 25, 1971 as the cut-off date in Assam.

The petition was sent to the Constitution bench in December 2014.

Rahman said, “The base year of 1971 will not protect the rights of indigenous people because many migrants from the erstwhile East Pakistan and later Bangladesh have entered Assam since 1951".