Assam’s NRC process finds conspicuous presence of Nagaland-issued Birth Certificates in lower Assam
Morung Express News
Dimapur | February 17
The State of Assam is in the midst of a mammoth undertaking verifying credentials of its residents, which will be updated in the National Register of Citizens. It involves scrutiny of personal credentials submitted by residents, like birth certificates, high school certificates etc as testimonials.
In the process, Assam State government officials have detected an unspecified number of birth certificates with origins in Nagaland State. While the authenticity of the documents are yet to be verified, the frequency of birth certificates, claimed to have been issued by the Nagaland State machinery, emerging from the mass of documents has raised eyebrows among Assam government officials involved in the task.
It was further made conspicuous from the observation that the findings of the certificates were concentrated in lower Assam districts like Nagaon, Barpeta, Morigaon and Karimganj. Without putting a numerical figure, one official privy to the verification process said that there have been several instances when officials have come across birth certificates submitted by residents of the lower Assam districts, which were purportedly issued by the Nagaland government. Another significant observation was that quite a number of certificates were recent, as in, recently issued.
The official, Assam State Coordinator for updating the NRC, Prateek Hajela, told The Morung Express that he cannot provide an estimate, while hinting that more might come up as counting progresses. “It is not uncommon for people to submit certificates issued by other State governments but what is puzzling is that a sizeable number of these certificates have been submitted by people claiming to be Assam residents, who were supposedly issued the certificates by the Nagaland government.”
He, however, maintained, “At this stage we cannot say whether these certificates were forged or illicitly procured.” Hajela further said that the Nagaland State Government has been intimated as it dictates counter-checking of records with the purported State of origin. According to him, two batches of certificates have been dispatched, with the Nagaland Chief Secretary officially intimated. The first batch was sent in January and the second on February 15, Hajela added.
The Nagaland State Government Chief Secretary, when contacted, said that his office has received correspondence on the matter from the Assam State government—it has now been referred to the Home department.
The State Home Commissioner was also contacted but said that he cannot comment on the issue. So, are people living in several districts of Assam increasingly coming to Nagaland State to give birth? The Nagaland State Government may want to find out.
