Guwahati (Assam): With the date of the publication of the final draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) inching closer, Kuladhar Saikia, the Director General of Police (DGP), Assam held a security review meeting with police officials from each district of the state.
Saikia held the day-long meet in Guwahati and deliberated on various security measures that need to be taken in order to maintain law and order situation in the state.
"Police officials from each district have come here (Guwahati) and we are deliberating on the suitable steps that need to be taken in order to maintain law and order in the state in the wake of final draft NRC being published, " said Saikia.
The DGP further added, "we have deployed security forces in each and every district as per their requirement. We have formulated an action plan at the state level, and similar plans have been chalked out at the district level as well. We have also discussed the deployment of security forces as and when required in certain vulnerable areas in order to avoid any untoward incident."
The Supreme Court has directed the NRC state coordinator, Prateek Hajela, and the Union Home Ministry to publish the final updated NRC by July 31, this year.
The NRC, first published in Assam in 1951, is being updated as per directions of the Supreme Court to segregate Indian citizens living in Assam from those who have illegally entered the state from Bangladesh after March 25, 1971.
After nearly 41 lakh people in Assam were left out of the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC), about 25 lakh people have sent a petition to the Centre for re-verification and it is under the consideration of the Union Home Ministry.
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While the government has resolved to deport all the illegal immigrants identified under the NRC exercise, it will have to be seen how lakhs of people can be sent to Bangladesh, which has always maintained that none of its citizens have moved to India illegally.