Home Minister Amit Shah announced in Parliament that no person will be marked ‘D’ (Doubtful) under NPR

Zafar Aafaq | Clarion India

NEW DELHI — The coalition of organisations coordinating and leading the countrywide protests against the CAA, NRC and NPR has announced that they would withdraw the boycott call against the National Population Register (NPR) if the government amended the rules of 2003 NPR Act and declared in writing that nobody will be categorised as doubtful (‘D’) citizen under this law.

The coalition made the offer at a press conference held at the Press Club of India in New Delhi, a day after Home Minister Amit Shah announced in Parliament that no person will be marked ‘D’ (Doubtful) under NPR. The decision was taken at a meeting of leading members of the organisations on Friday.

“Some people ask us that if the home minister has assured the nation that nobody will be declared ‘D’, then why boycott the NPR process? We say, give this in writing – what the HM stated in Parliament – and we shall withdraw the boycott call,” stated Yogendra Yadav, a leading socio-political activist who heads the initiative, ‘We the People of India.’

The coalition comprises two alliances — We the People of India backed by over 100 organisations; and the Alliance Against CAA, NRC and NPR which is a union of civil society groups across the country.

The press conference was addressed by the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Chief Syed Sadatullah Husaini, human rights activist Harsh Mander, Yogendra Yadav, Nadeem Khan of the United Against Hate, Niaz Farooqui of Jamiat Ulema Hind and a representative of Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadees.

In the NPR process, set to begin from April 1, administrative officials will go from door to door and collect information from families to prepare a register of the people living in the country.

“If, tomorrow, an official declares someone as D under NPR, and you show him the home minister’s video, the official will dismiss this and demand a written order,” Yadav pointed out. “The government works on the basis of official notifications and order, and not as per speeches and resolutions.”

Home Minster Shah also declared in Parliament that sharing information with officials is voluntary. In this respect, the coalition proposed that there be an amendment to existing rules. According to the rules of 2003, it is the responsibility of the family head to give information to the official; failing which he or she will be penalised with a fine of Rs 1,000.   

REGIME OF CITIZENSHIP

There are apprehensions that under the “new regime of citizenship”, NPR will become a basis for NRC, a citizenship test that has the potential to strip thousands of people of their citizenship if they failed to give documentary proof of their bona fides.

“There is a fear among sections of people that NPR will be used to strip them of their citizenship,” said Harsh Mander, rights Activist associated with Karwan-e- Mohabbat. “It is the responsibility of the government to clear the apprehensions of the people.”

Following passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Parliament in December, people — mainly Muslims — rose in protest demanding that the government to roll back the law. The law grants naturalisation to members of all faiths except Islam who came in from neighbouring countries. If a person fails to pass NRC, he/she will be declared non-citizen. If he/she is a non-Muslim and can prove that, then CAA will help him/her get citizenship. Muslims will be sent to detention centres, it is feared.

Niaz Farooqui, who represented Jamiat Ulema Hind at the press conference, said that the utterances of Home Minister Amit Shah are just “Jumla” and that they do not trust him. “We do not trust the home minister. We want the government to declare in writing that nobody will be marked ‘D’ under NPR,” Farooqui demanded.