While the NRC could address the issue of illegal residents, there lies a range of challenging issues pre and post completion.
What are the challenges ahead?
Claims - Close to 14 million cases are still remaining under scrutiny out of the total applicants.
There are more people who do not make it to the Draft List of the NRC, clearly indicating more illegal immigrants in Assam.
Thus, there are sure to be claims and contestations even after the final draft.
Humanitarian concerns - Nearly five decades have elapsed since the cut-off date of March 25, 1971.
Certainly, individuals who have sneaked in illegally would have made settlements in India for generations.
Expecting them to leave after such a long period has some serious humanitarian issues.
Deportation - The list of aliens is only expected to increase with further applications and scrutiny.
This is especially worrying given the absence of a deportation treaty with Bangladesh.
There is a possibility that the issue could evolve as that of the Rohingyas of Myanmar’s Rakhine province.
Verification - An individual has to demonstrate that she, or her ancestors, was in the 1951 register, or else in any electoral rolls before March 1971.
For those born after 1971, even the presentation of a valid Indian passport or birth certificate is not adequate grounds for inclusion.
The process would be challenging with these procedural issues.
Notably, it is being monitored by the Supreme Court and supposed to be completed within a year.
Political - Political parties have turned a blind eye to the situation over the decades in order to ensure vote banks.
Given this, inclusion of more residents against the will of the anti-Bengali and anti-Muslim political forces is sure to unveil new political challenges to the state government.
