Assam: 80 lakh names of illegal "immigrants" entered in final NRC

New Delhi: Assam Public Works (APW) president Abhijeet Sharma on Wednesday claimed that around 80 lakh names of illegal "immigrants" were included in the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) published in 2019, and said he will file a fresh petition in the Supreme Court seeking its re-verification very soon.

"The Assam government is saying it does not accept the NRC published in 2019. It is now going for a fresh or re-verification of NRC. The government is now playing with words. But on the other hand, it accepts NRC as a legal document for official purposes. Names of 80 lakh illegal immigrants entered in the final NRC," the president of the apolitical organisation.

APW will never accept the NRC, he added. Expressing his disappointment over the approach of the previous and the ruling governments in the matter, Sharma said, "Since 1985 (the year in which the Assam Accord was signed) there are only talks and meetings, but the outcome is a 'big zero'."

"We are demanding for a 100 per cent re-verification only in 23 districts including Goalpara, Dhubri, Hojai, where we have doubts. We will again file a petition in the apex court in this regard," he said.

He also informed that APW has filed a petition in the apex court on Tuesday to 'unlock' the 'lock' of biometrics data of 27 lakhs persons whose biometrics were collected during the course of hearing of claims and objections.

Out of the 27 lakh, most of them are indigenous people who he claimed have been deprived of availing the benefits of the government schemes because they don't have Aadhaar card.

The statement of the APW chief comes amid reports of the Assam government to approach the Supreme Court seeking re-verification of the NRC. (UNI)