India: About Four Million People In The North-eastern Lose Their Citizenship - Foreign Affairs

India: About Four Million People In The North-eastern Lose Their Citizenship - Foreign Affairs - Nairaland

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India: About Four Million People In The North-eastern Lose Their Citizenship by panafrican(op): 4:31pm On Jul 30, 2018

BBC July 30, 2018
Assam register: Four million risk losing India citizenship

India has published a list which effectively strips about four million people in the north-eastern state of Assam of their citizenship.

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a list of people who can prove they came to the state by 24 March 1971, a day before neighbouring Bangladesh declared independence.

They say that a lengthy appeal process will be available to all - even if it means millions of families will live in limbo until they get a final decision on their legal status.

Who is affected?
Millions of people fled to neighbouring India after Bangladesh declared itself an independent country from Pakistan on 26 March 1971, sparking a bitter war. Many of the refugees settled in Assam.

Under the Assam Accord, an agreement signed by then PM Rajiv Gandhi in 1985, all those who cannot prove that they came to the north-eastern state before 24 March 1971 will be deleted from electoral rolls and expelled as they are not considered legitimate citizens.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-45002549