NRC row: TMC to visit Assam on August 2

Following the release of the final draft of Assam's National Register of Citizens (NRC), a delegation of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) has decided to visit the state in the first week of August.

The draft list, which was released on Monday, has left out nearly 40 lakh people in Assam, incorporating names of 2.89 crore people out of 3.29 crore applicants. The list was released in line with the directions of the Supreme Court to identify permanent residents and illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

Soon after the final draft was released, the Congress and TMC alleged that a lot of irregularities were present in the report, with Assam Congress MP Ripun Bora terming it as a politically motivated move. The Opposition leaders also created a ruckus in the Parliament, leading to the adjournment of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, TMC leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said excluding 40 lakh people from the list would have serious ramifications on the demography of different states adjoining Assam. He further asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to justify the same in the Parliament.

Security was beefed up across the state to maintain law and order following the publication of the draft.

According to media reports, the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) was the first to celebrate the draft publication by distributing sweets. They were the ones who raised the issue in the Supreme Court and had been leading a movement for decades.

A prohibitory order was reportedly imposed under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in 14 districts including Sonitpur, Karimganj, Golaghat, Barpeta, Dhubri, Dima Hasao, and Darrang.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured that no coercive action would be taken against those whose names were excluded from the final draft list.

Clarifying that this is the draft list and not the final one, Singh added that "no misinformation should be spread in this regard".

The NRC draft features the names, addresses, and photographs of all Indian citizens, who have been residing in the northeastern state before March 25, 1971.