Guwahati: The introduction of the first draft of the National Register of Citizens has initiated a huge political row with opposition parties upset over the issue of more than four million people in Assam being excluded from the charter. Many of the excluded residents of Assam are also very much worried about their names not being included in the draft. Among those who were not included in the draft is a former Junior Commissioned Officer, who served the Indian Army for about 30 years but now he finds himself and his family being left out from the new citizen list.

Mohammad A Haq is upset that the government did not include his and his family’s names in the recently announced final National Register of Citizens (NRC) draft despite serving the Indian Army for a period of 30 years as Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) before retiring.

“I served in the Indian army for 30 years. I am really sad that my name is not mentioned in the NRC list. I served the nation with commitment. I have legacy data from my parents. The investigation should be fair and friendly,” Mohammad A Haq told a news agency.

The period in which Mohammed served the Indian Army was between September 1986 and September 2016.

He is hopeful that the government will help him and his family.

“I served the nation with commitment. I have legacy data from my parents. The investigation should be fair and friendly,” he said.

The draft was released on July 30 leaving out almost 40 lakh people in Assam. It incorporated names of 2.89 crore people out of 3.29 crore applicants. After that, the opposition has always been at loggerheads with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Centre over the issue.

Back on December 31, 2017, the first draft was published and names of 1.9 crores out of the 3.29 crore applicants were incorporated.

The draft of NRC records details like names, addresses, and photographs of all Indian citizens coming from the northeastern state and had been residing there before March 25, 1971.

After nearly seven decades of the period, the NRC has been updated as part of a campaign to identify undocumented immigrants from Bangladesh. But according to critics, those who were not included on the list may be soon rendered stateless.

The list can be checked online or by paying a visit to one of the 2,500 NRC Seva Kendras installed across the state. The results can also be found through SMS request.

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