AIUDF Demands Removal Of Assam NRC State Coordinator

The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) demanded the removal of state coordinator for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, Hitesh Dev Sarma on Saturday.

A petition was filed in this regard before the Supreme Court of India by AIUDF to sack the Sarma.

The current NRC state coordinator, Sarma violated the Supreme Court guidelines of the NRC updating process, alleged AIUDF MLA Rafiqul Islam.

Islam was quoted by ANI as saying, “Many parties have challenged the appointment of Hitesh Dev Sarma as the NRC State Coordinator in the Supreme Court. Our party has also filed a petition before the Supreme Court. Hitesh Dev Sarma had earlier worked in the NRC office in Assam.”

He further said, “When NRC updating works were started in Assam in 2014-15, he had worked in the NRC office. At that time, he had made some communal statements. This man is not fair, not secular-minded. He is a communal-minded man. He has made such statements by targeting a particular community.”

The AIUDF MLA also urged the Registrar General of India (RGI) to remove Hitesh Dev Sarma from the post.

“The NRC updating process in Assam is going on under the supervision of the Supreme Court. According to the Supreme Court instructions, the NRC State Coordinator can't share any information with the state government. But he has violated the Supreme Court instructions, and directives. He should be sacked immediately. The NRC updating process is going on smoothly, and scientifically under the supervision of the Supreme Court. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also said this in the parliament,” said Islam.

It may be noted that party from Assam had earlier said that it will move the SC challenging the state government if it filed a petition seeking a re-verification of the NRC.

The NRC state coordinator had lodged a complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Assam police last month against former NRC state coordinator Prateej Hajela and some other officers alleging indulgence in criminal, anti-national activities, endangering national security.

In a copy of the complaint, Sarma stated “It is suspected that the then State Coordinator Prateek Hajela willfully avoided the re-verification of remaining 33,794 persons out of 64,247 marked as 'Originally Inhabitant of Assam' of Chamaria Circle in particular and re-verification of 'OI' markings of other Circles as a whole to facilitate entry of ineligible persons' names into NRC which can be treated as not only a dereliction of duty but an act of treason for doing such an activity which is likely to threaten the national security.”

“Pertinently Prateek Hajela, the then State Coordinator, NRC, from the very beginning had the intention to do the above acts which constitute serious criminal offence besides endangering national security,” he further wrote.

Sarma had requested the CID to register a case under sections 120 B 166 A, 167, 181, 218, 420, 466 read with section 34 and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Prateek Hajela, the then state coordinator, along with the officers and data entry operators and do necessary detailed investigations to book the perpetrators who are involved in the anti-national activities.