NRC Assam Updating Process Under Scrutiny

By Nava Thakuria, New Age Islam 21 November, 2023 NRC Issue Engulfs Court Proceeding in Assam Main Points · Court proceedings against Prateek Hajela for financial scams exceeding 155 crores are underway, with a hearing scheduled for February 2024 in Guwahati. · Wipro and ISS are under scrutiny for allegedly tampering with software to permit thousands of Bangladeshi nationals to apply for Indian citizenship. · Three Guwahati-based television scribes are suspected of being involved in the NRC scam, supplying DEOs to ISS and benefiting from illegal means. · Bharat Raksha Manch (BRM) urges Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to approve FIRs against Hajela and request re-verification of NRC draft with 1951 base year. ----- After years of allegations over the National Register of Citizens (NRC) updating process in Assam, the court proceedings begin against the former State coordinator Prateek Hajela (for his involvement with a financial scam to the tune of over 155 crores), the system integrator (Wipro limited) and a subcontractor Integrated System and Services (ISS). Hajela, who had already voluntarily retired from the service under the Assam government, was recently summoned by the Kamrup (metro) additional district & sessions court to appear on 17 November, but he failed to do so. The district court in Guwahati has now fixed 6 February 2024 for the next hearing and even allowed the petitioner Luit Kumar Barman to bring the matter to the retired IAS officer’s notice through newspaper-advertisements. Barman, an Assamese entrepreneur turned award-winning film producer, is now preparing for the advertisement to be published in two national dailies (one in English and another in Hindi) and two widely circulated newspapers of Hajela's home State (Madhya Pradesh) and also Assam. Wipro, the Indian IT company of international repute, submitted an affidavit through its representatives. However, the ISS (represented by proprietor Utpal Hazarika) was not served the summon duly and the court directed the petitioner Barman to take the necessary steps. Both Wipro and ISS face serious allegations of tempering software in the process of allowing thousands of illegal Bangladeshi nationals to apply for Indian citizenship. The complainant filed the petition on the basis of the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on social, economic and general sectors for the year ending on 31 March 2020, where it pointed out irregularities on the NRC Assam updating process (May 2014 to October 2019). The highest audit body also recommended penal actions against Hajela and Wipro. Barman lodged a complaint at Paltan Bazar police station on 19 October 2022 against Hajela, Wipro and ISS for their suspected roles in money laundering. But he was not entertained and then approached the court of Kamrup (metro) chief judicial magistrate. Barman introduced three individuals as witnesses namely Hitesh Devsarma, IAS (retired), who was the immediate successor of Hajela as NRC State coordinator, Aabhijeet Sarma, president of Assam Public Works (the original petitioner in Supreme Court for updating of 1951 Assam NRC) and himself. Both Devsarma and Sarma had already lodged three FIRs against Hajela alleging financial mismanagements, intentional inclusion of illegal migrant’s names in the NRC draft and lowly paying of over 6000 contractual data entry operators (DEOs). Needless to mention that the DEOs, some of whom were paid as low as Rs 5,500 (per person), are still deprived of their due outstanding. However, the concerned police officer-in-charge did not register the case, following which the complainant sent an electronic mail (on 17 March 2023) to the city police commissioner, but that too went in vain. Later when the Kamrup (metro) CJM court too refused to entertain his appeal for justice over the sensitive issue associating millions of genuine residents of Assam, Barman went to the Kamrup (metro) sessions court. Months back, the fifth FIR was lodged against Hajela at Dispur police station highlighting the exploitation of DEOs. The complaint argued that DEOs are yet to get their cumulative outstanding amount (nearly Rs 100 crore) from the concerned agencies. Amidst the debate about the NRC scam, social media users named and shamed three Guwahati-based television scribes as beneficiaries of it. Those scribes are suspected of being involved in supplying the DEOs to ISS and subsequently benefited themselves from the illegal means. People of Assam still remember how they lavishly praised Hajela as an outstanding officer and pronounced the NRC draft as the final one, even though it’s yet to be endorsed by the Registrar General of India. Every social media user argued that the DEOs must be financially compensated under the laws. Expressing concern over the development, the Journalists’ Forum Assam urged the local news channel management to clarify that no journalist of their organisations was involved with the scam so that the audience does not perceive the entire media fraternity as corrupt. Days back, the nationalist body Bharat Raksha Manch (BRM) urged Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to approve all FIRs against Hajela to be registered against the NRC scam stars. It also appealed to the State government to file an affidavit before the SC seeking for a complete re-verification of the NRC draft with the base year of 1951 (instead of 1971). The State unit of BRM under the leadership of Dwijendra N Barthakur even organised a protest demonstration in the city on 2 October demanding due legal actions against Hajela and other individuals, who are involved with the NRC updating scam. Barman, while talking to this writer, asserted that he pursues no personal enmity towards Hajela, but he has taken it as a cause for the nation. Regarding the next date of hearing, the young engineer turned entrepreneur revealed that he plans to publish the said advertisements as early as possible. He informed me that thousands of his friends & social media users extended monetary contributions to the initiative. The total money collected from the crowd will be used for the advertisements, stated Barman, adding that the overwhelming response indicates that it’s a matter of serious national concern. ------ The writer is a northeast Bharat-based senior media columnist … URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-politics/nrc-assam-process-under-scrutiny/d/131150 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism