Irrespective of the support for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, the effects of its implementation have cut across age, gender and ethnicity. With the final list due on August 31, The Indian Express chronicles the stories of five individuals whose names didn’t appear in the last draft: a retired teacher, a mechanic, a student of law, a police aspirant, and a child.
The government has reiterated that non-inclusion of a name does not amount to being declared a foreigner immediately and those left out will be given the chance to appeal their exclusion in Foreigners’ Tribunals within 120 days.
But for most, with another date, and another appeal, the wait is far from over.
On February 22, Sati Purkayastha, turned 75. She was surrounded by her friends and family — a cake was cut, and payas, Purkayastha’s favourite rice-pudding, was had. Yet, that evening as she retired to bed, a question hung heavy on her head. Had she ever broken rules? Had she been a law-abiding citizen of the country?