Why only Assam?: A Historical Perspective of the National Register of Citizen.
“Assam, famous world over for its tea is a land of Jaded mountain, singing waterfalls, many people and ever smiling young girls. In the past, Ahom kings infused fresh and varied colored into its art and culture.[1]While in the modern times, Srimanta Shankardev embellished and enriched it with his enchanting poetry and Jyoti Prashad Aggarwal adorned it with artistries of different sorts”.[2]
Northeast and Assam: Evidently, the North-Eastern segment of our country is the most ornate region, that as described by P.M Narendra Modi; is the gateway through which the nation could be pegged to the South-East Asian world,[3] as it proudly shares over 2000 km. of border with Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh, when, paradoxically, is connected to the rest of India by a narrow 20 km wide corridor of land, famously known as the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ (Siliguri Corridor).
Ecologically this region is somewhat unique in comparison to other parts of India. High Mountain, snow bound region, deep forest, undulated terrain, networks of rivers and a rivulet, plain land with high rainfall moist weather have given this region a unique feature and is even one of the most ethically and linguistically diverse region in India, having its distinct cultures and traditions but, unfortunately is still considered to be one of the most onerous zones to be in.[4] The North-East India with over 220 ethnic groups and tribes as well as equal number of dialects makes it a hugely diverse region.[5] All these people have their unique style of living. They have different types of settlements, different livelihood patterns, different systems of social structures, life-cycle patterns, and different systems of social control, different regions and ethics but still, in spite of having such diversity and distinctiveness, the tribal and regional community of the region is bound and cohesive in its nature. The society that prevails there has a strong shared and a communal sentiment with a weighted mutual feeling among-st themselves, who adorns, respects and keep their culture, tradition, language and customs at a steadfast level of concern.
The ‘optimus prime’ of the afore-mentioned could be found at the cradle of civilisations, which is Assam.
Migration: The region being one with tremendous capacity and potential in terms of the availability of natural resources, expansion of tourism, fertility massive agricultural production and above all the tea and coffee plantations; lured many rulers and capitalists, who not only had greed but also lust for the region and thus, exposed it to the harmful radiations of development and growth, that not only violated the natural resources and the principles of sustainable development but also brought in thousands of new personnel’s, who not only resided but also side-lined the tribal indigenous population, who actually had the just right and rule over it leading to an acute security and identity crisis.
Thus, with the expansion of colonial administration, local economy and other industries; the Marwari traders from Rajasthan came into Assam and made Assam as their home. Further the construction of railways, discovery of coal and oil, facilitated migration from other parts of India. The colonial authorities also encouraged the educated Bengali’s to come to Assam to take up jobs in the lower echelons of the Provincial Government, as teachers and other such professions. Similarly, the availability of cultivable wastelands attracted the peasantry from the densely populated neighboring districts of Bengal in large numbers in the twentieth century.[6] Additionally, the peasant migrants from the erstwhile East Bengal brought with them superior cultivation techniques like multiple cropping and introduced poultry farming; therefore the people of Assam encouraged them to settle down in Assam for increasing rice production and agricultural economy.[7] Initially, the immigrant population from neighboring regions like Bengal, Bihar and Nepal etc. were welcomed by the local people and were considered useful for the development of the region. A number of vegetables and crops including jute hitherto unknown in the State were also introduced by the migrants.[8]
Moreover, as migration brought laurels and progression through the increase in income and expansion of trade and commerce to the North- Eastern region but the problems and complications associated with it became intense and apparent only after the dawn of Independence set forth and in 1970’s when the Bangladesh Liberation War was at its peak, which not only led to the transfer of population and emigration but also the entry of thousands of illegal immigrants and persons, who posed a real-time threat to the North-Eastern region and its cultural aroma and tribal traditions and culture, wherein, threatening the ethno-linguistic beauty of the Assamese lands was also unfortunate.
Increasing immigration or the infiltration of illegal personnel’s in the North-Eastern region, specifically, erstwhile, Assam which incorporated all the states of the segment, suffered detrimentally, wherein, the threat to the tribal population and their culture, tradition, language and practices was seen as inevitable because the influx was considered to impose a culture which was foreign to the Assamese lands; considered to ruin the tribal significance as even enumerated in the Sixth Schedule [9]of the Indian Constitution that provided special protection to the tribal heartlands by promoting the system of self-governance among-st the same and through the establishment of the Autonomous District Councils, which is even seen to be endangered through the coming in of the infiltrators.
The Notion of NRC: The history of Assam, thus, is the outcome of the long struggle made by those Assamese people who are trying to preserve their identity. It is the struggle of those who wanted to save their culture from being extinct and be reduced to an ethnic minority section in their homeland.[10] The Indigenous people of Assam fear that the unabated influx or growing stream of immigrants and infiltrators from across the border would one day reduce them into a small minority as happened to the original settlers of the neighbouring State of Tripura.[11] This creates the feeling of alienation among the indigenous people of Assam.[12]
Therefore, in the backdrop of this, the government, initially in the late 1950’s passed several acts, laws and even signed pacts; for eg. Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act 1950, Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act and Nehru-Liaquat pact amongst several others, to tackle the problem of rampant immigration.
As a result, the Census of the year 1951 was merged with the concept of National Register of Citizens which is a document manufactured by the Government containing the names of all Indian citizens, but sadly, the NRC of 1951 was incomplete as the Census of the year could not cover all the places of the State. Many areas were left by the enumerators such the riverine, chars and remote areas. These areas could not be reached by them.[13]
Additionally, in the offset of the NRC, the migration was still rampant, as the Nehru- Liaquat Pact[14] provide a window of two years for the settlement of the infiltrators in Assam, when on the other hand the NRC stood prepared in 1951 itself. And from this standpoint, the conflict and tussle of the National Register of Citizens, its regular up-gradation, especially, in the backdrop of the independence of the East Bengal and the rapid increase in the electoral rolls, after which the Assam agitation culminated, the result of which was the Assam Accord and the deadline date was even decided so as to determine the citizenship of the residents and the illegal immigrants; till the very recent times, when a Supreme Court ordered up-gradation is being carried out, the statistics of which have been made available.
[1] Nilakshi Das,”Implication of NRC updation in Assam”, International JournalofHumanities&SocialScience,https://www.thecho.in/files/4_q35267bi.--Nilakshi-Das.pdf (25.12.2019)
[2] Chandra Bhushan (2005), “Assam-its heritage and culture”; Delhi: Kalpaz publication, P. 07.
[3] D.R. Chaudhary, “Northeast India gateway to Southeast Asia under Act East Policy:PMModiinBangkok“,ET//economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/71871976.cmsutm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst (25.12.2019)
[4] N. Dasu, “A Study on Globalisation and Ethnic Women of North-East India”, IJHSS;https://www.thecho.in/files/lakshi-Dasu_56f6jtc3.pdf (25.12.2019)
[5][5] Shayamkanu Mahanta, “Look east, act fast”, IOOP; http://oneindiaonepeople.com/look-east-act-fast/ (25.12.19)
[6] Chandan Kumar Sharma, “The immigration issue in Assam and conflicts aroundit”,TFO;https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14631369.2012.676235?scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=caet20 (25.12.2019)
[7] Report on “Foreigners Issue” by Home and Political Department, Government of Assam;https://cjp.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/White-Paper-On-Foreigners-Issue-20-10-2012.pdf (25.12.19)
[8] http://onlineedistrict.amtron.in/web/home-and-political-department/white-paper#census (25.12.19)
[9] Sixth Schedule of The Constitution of India, https://www.mea.gov.in/Images/pdf1/S6.pdf (25.12.2019)
[10] Bhawani Singh, “Politics of Alienation in Assam”, 1984, Delhi: Ajanta Publications (India), p.1.
[11] K.V. Thomas, “The Politics of Citizenship: The National Register for Citizens (NRC) in Assam”, HC;https://www.thehinducentre.com/the-arena/current-issues/article25142441.ece (25.12.2019)
[12] Nilakshi Das,”Implication of NRC updation in Assam”, International JournalofHumanities&SocialScience,https://www.thecho.in/files/4_q35267bi.--Nilakshi-Das.pdf (25.12.2019)
[13] G.Seetharaman, “National Register of Citizens in Assam: Issue of illegal immigrants”,ET//economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/47657561.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst (25.12.2019)
[14] Nehru Liaquat Pact, 1950; https://mea.gov.in/Portal/LegalTreatiesDoc/PA50B1228.pdf (25.12.2019)
