NRC: Sonowal asks people not to panic; govt to provide legal aid to poor

Ahead of the scheduled publication of a final list of government’s national register of citizens (NRC) on 31 August, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal asked people not to panic and said the Government is here to take care of everyone, even those who will be excluded from the final list will get enough opportunity to prove their Indian citizenship.

Guwahati: Ahead of the publication of final NRC, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday asked people not to panic and said the state government will take all possible steps to help genuine Indians prove their citizenship and provide legal assistance.

Sonowal also said the exclusion of anyone's name from the final list of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be published on Saturday, does not mean that he or she has become a foreigner as such a decision can be taken only by a Foreigners Tribunal (FTs) after following the proper legal process.

"No one should be worried. No one should panic. Government is here to take care of everyone. Even those who will be excluded from the final list will get enough opportunity to prove their Indian citizenship," he told media in an interview.

When the draft NRC was published on July 30 last year, there was a huge controversy over the exclusion of 40.7 lakh people from it.