Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday issued a warning that “strangers” coming from outside the state are on the government’s radar. If they cross the limits of rules, they will be arrested. He said that such people had come to the state earlier also during the NRC and affected the entire process. Now their activities are being monitored closely.
Suspicion on those coming from Kerala, Mumbai and Delhi
CM Sarma alleged that these people are coming from Kerala, Mumbai and Delhi and are involved in “infrastructural activities”. He also named Irfan Engineer, director of the Mumbai-based Center for Study of Society and Secularism, and lawyer Neha Dabhade, who are in Assam as a fact-monitoring team. He said that these groups are investigating the evacuation work done in the state.
Allegations in the context of NRC
Sarma again expressed concern about the National Register of Citizens (NRC). He claimed that wrong entries were made under the influence of some individuals, including human rights activist Harsh Mander. The NRC was updated in Assam in 2019 and excluded 19 lakh residents, but even after six years the list has not been officially notified.
BBC team’s entry blocked
The chief minister confirmed that a BBC team was recently denied entry into the forest area of Uriyamghat, the site of Assam’s biggest clearance project. He said prior permission is required to enter the forest area. The government is taking strict action this time and no individual or group will be allowed to take advantage of these issues.
Eviction and violence figures
During the tenure of the BJP government since 2016, 15,270 families, mostly from the Muslim community, have been evicted from government land in Assam. At least eight Muslim civilians were shot dead during this period. According to the state’s Revenue and Disaster Management department, the number of these evacuations is constantly increasing and the government has taken strict action to stop it.
