GUWAHATI: Despite repeated disclaimers that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a work in growth, individuals of the minority neighborhood within the state have no longer been in a position to rest easy. Faced with the prospect of both no longer making it to the NRC or proceeding to reside with the "illegal migrant" stereotype although they do, all they can now could be wait and hope.
"My family and I passed another test of citizenship. This, I am hopeful, is the last test I had to appear to prove my citizenship," Mazedur Rahman, 50, a social activist from the Muslim-majority Barpeta district in lower Assam, mentioned.
Rahman has been working for the rights of the marginalized Muslim neighborhood in lower Assam for decades. To him, the challenge the neighborhood faces isn't such a lot evidence of citizenship as the stereotypes it has to reside with. "Will the inclusion of Muslims in the NRC free them of the Bangladeshi tag? The problem that persists is that of perception. Despite being genuine citizens, most members of the community have faced the stigma of being branded Bangladeshi," Rahman mentioned.
The development the NRC replace process has adopted does no longer lend a hand assuage such fears. Verification has been a lot slower within the minority-dominated districts of the Barak Valley, central and lower Assam, with just 44% names from Nagaon in central Assam and 39% from Barpeta in lower Assam making the lower. Authorities have attributed this to the issue of "influx" in those areas, which has slowed down the verification process since a extra rigorous technique of scrutiny must be adopted.
In distinction, 90% of candidates from the Assamese-majority districts of higher Assam discovered position within the first draft, a lot higher than the state reasonable of 57%.
"My name was not there in the first draft. I know my name and that of many others will find place in the next draft because we are genuine citizens. For years, we have gone through the suffering of being looked down upon as Bangladeshis. We are restless to clear this hurdle and see our names on the citizenship list, ending the debate once and for all," a Muslim farmer from Guinelguri village in Barpeta, who did not wish to be named, mentioned.
For economically deprived sections, already at the intersection of various forms of marginalization, the challenge is even larger.
Kathmandu-based human rights activist Anjuman Ara Begum, who has circle of relatives in Assam, mentioned the NRC must no longer end up widening fissures. "Members of the Muslim community from economically disadvantaged sections are most vulnerable. If the 'Bangladeshi' stigma persists even after their names are included in the NRC, it will be a new challenge for the community. That should not be allowed to happen," she added.
The state executive and NRC authorities were reiterating that people whose names did not figure within the first draft don't need to panic as no genuine Indian voters might be left out within the up to date NRC.
"My family and I passed another test of citizenship. This, I am hopeful, is the last test I had to appear to prove my citizenship," Mazedur Rahman, 50, a social activist from the Muslim-majority Barpeta district in lower Assam, mentioned.
Rahman has been working for the rights of the marginalized Muslim neighborhood in lower Assam for decades. To him, the challenge the neighborhood faces isn't such a lot evidence of citizenship as the stereotypes it has to reside with. "Will the inclusion of Muslims in the NRC free them of the Bangladeshi tag? The problem that persists is that of perception. Despite being genuine citizens, most members of the community have faced the stigma of being branded Bangladeshi," Rahman mentioned.
The development the NRC replace process has adopted does no longer lend a hand assuage such fears. Verification has been a lot slower within the minority-dominated districts of the Barak Valley, central and lower Assam, with just 44% names from Nagaon in central Assam and 39% from Barpeta in lower Assam making the lower. Authorities have attributed this to the issue of "influx" in those areas, which has slowed down the verification process since a extra rigorous technique of scrutiny must be adopted.
In distinction, 90% of candidates from the Assamese-majority districts of higher Assam discovered position within the first draft, a lot higher than the state reasonable of 57%.
"My name was not there in the first draft. I know my name and that of many others will find place in the next draft because we are genuine citizens. For years, we have gone through the suffering of being looked down upon as Bangladeshis. We are restless to clear this hurdle and see our names on the citizenship list, ending the debate once and for all," a Muslim farmer from Guinelguri village in Barpeta, who did not wish to be named, mentioned.
For economically deprived sections, already at the intersection of various forms of marginalization, the challenge is even larger.
Kathmandu-based human rights activist Anjuman Ara Begum, who has circle of relatives in Assam, mentioned the NRC must no longer end up widening fissures. "Members of the Muslim community from economically disadvantaged sections are most vulnerable. If the 'Bangladeshi' stigma persists even after their names are included in the NRC, it will be a new challenge for the community. That should not be allowed to happen," she added.
The state executive and NRC authorities were reiterating that people whose names did not figure within the first draft don't need to panic as no genuine Indian voters might be left out within the up to date NRC.
Assam Muslims struggle to overcome 'migrant' stigma
![Assam Muslims struggle to overcome 'migrant' stigma]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
January 04, 2018
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