Even as West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has been reiterating over the past few weeks that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) won’t be implemented in the state, the scare about it has been very real. This has prompted the government to issue notices in newspapers to say that “West Bengal is not under the purview of NRC. Therefore worrying about it is wholly unnecessary”.
However, on Wednesday itself, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kailash Vijayvargiya said that the BJP will implement NRC in West Bengal and it will certainly be implemented if the party comes to power in the state.
Banerjee meanwhile said that 11 persons have reportedly died due to the NRC scare. This includes some people who have committed suicide and others who have been worrying about the possibility of compilation of such a list but thought they did not have the relevant documents and may be excluded.
The government, in its notice issued publicly has asked people to not get involved in “any rumour mongering or controversy”. The notice has informed people about a population Census (conducted every ten years) and that there is no connection between NRC and the issuing or correction of digital ration cards. These are some of the areas people have been confused about.
Last week, two persons from Maynaguri committed suicide allegedly due to the fear from being left out if such a list is compiled. Banerjee has said that both the deaths had resulted out of the fear of NRC.
She has recently addressed the issue in the state administrative headquarters, Nabanna, saying that no one will be able to force NRC on Bengal as long as she is in charge.
She also said that no one would need to leave Bengal, and there is absolutely no reason to worry. She has also been saying that the atmosphere of fear surrounding a potential NRC in Bengal is the doing of some BJP leaders.
Banerjee has been assuring people in the recent past in various public meetings and press conferences that the people of Bengal must check their names in the voter list, which is being renewed.
Last week, a farmer, Annada Roy (39) of Barakamat village in Maynaguri was found hanging under a railway overbridge. His family members said that he was worried about the NRC issue for the past few days and was under stress trying to put together documents needed for NRC. His elder brother said that he had lost some land documents and was devastated as he had thought that land records are essential to prove one’s citizenship. A complaint was lodged by his family with the Maynaguri police.
Soleman Sarkar (60), of Jayhat village reportedly fell ill and died while he was discussing the NRC issue with his family. His youngest son, Salim has said that his father was stressed over the past two weeks regarding the documents needed for NRC and that what might happen to them if they failed to produce them. He had even given up eating, the family said.
Momena Bewa (60) of Kantakhali village of Hingalgunj block also died last week, and according to district secretary of North 24 Parganas and Food & Supplies Minister of West Bengal, Jyotipriyo Mullick, the woman had died out of stress regarding NRC. Rabindra Nath Ghosh, Trinamool leader from North Bengal said that strict measures need to be taken against the rumour-mongers spreading fake news on NRC.
Meanwhile, BJP general secretary of Jalpaiguri, Bapi Goswami said that it is the Trinamool Congress that was responsible for creating an atmosphere of terror surrounding NRC. The same was reiterated by Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh.
More deaths allegedly from fear of NRC have taken place since, prompting the government to issue the public notice.
There have been speculations and official statements from the BJP that after Assam, it would now be West Bengal’s turn for implementing NRC. BJP leaders have been saying that NRC implementation in West Bengal is imminent and a matter of time.
Over 19 lakh residents in Assam have been left out of the NRC list made public in August this year. The exclusion and their uncertain future has raised worry nationally and at international levels. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet recently expressed serious concern over basic rights of the excluded people in Assam.
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