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:
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