37 lakh people in Assam suffering from mental torture over NRC, reveals survey

Human rights body National Campaign Against Torture has claimed that around 37 lakh or 89 per cent of over 41 lakh people excluded from National Register of Citizens in Assam have been suffering from extreme mental torture due to the fear of being identified as foreigners.

New Delhi: A survey conducted by human rights body National Campaign Against Torture (NCTA), days before the publication of the final version of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, revealed that around 37 lakh or 89 per cent of over 41 lakh people excluded from the draft NRC have been suffering from extreme mental torture due to the fear of being marked as foreigners.

The NCTA conducted a field survey in Assam's Baksa, Goalpara and Kamrup districts from July 16-20 to study the state of mental health of those left out of the draft NRC.

In this regard, NCTA, a conglomerate of various rights group, released a report titled "Assam's NRC: Four Million Tales of Mental Torture, Trauma, and Humiliation, "on Friday.

"The NRC is going to be published under the supervision and direction of the Supreme Court...apart from the legal point of view, the government should also adopt a humanitarian approach while dealing with such cases," said political and strategic affairs expert Subimal Bhattacharjee.

The Union Home Ministry has recently said that the duration to make claims for citizenship has been extended from 60 to 120 days.

"If someone's name is not included in the NRC list, it does not mean that he or she is a foreigner," Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, adding that the FTs are the ultimate authority for declaring a person foreigner after a stipulated process.

Presently there are 100 FTs in Assam. "More 200 FTs will be set up in Assam in October," he added.

The final list of NRC is to be published on August 31.