Asia/South Asia
6 years ago

Case against Mamata as she speaks out against Assam citizen registration

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

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A police case has been filed against Mamata Banerjee in Assam after multiple complaints alleged the West Bengal Chief Minister made an inflammatory speech over the National Register of Citizens in Assam.

Speaking at a public meeting at Birbhum district in Bengal on Wednesday, Ms Banerjee had criticised the citizens register exercise and alleged a conspiracy to drive out Bengalis from Assam by "excluding" their names from the first draft of the NRC.

"Bengalis are being threatened with eviction from Assam, being told your name not there on list... Wherever there is BJP in the state, there seems to be a conspiracy to evict other people," Mamata Banerjee had said earlier.

The complaint was filed on Thursday by Gauhati High Court advocate Tailendra Nath Das and police have registered an FIR under Section 153(A) of the Indian Penal Code.

The section pertains to promoting enmity among groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.

Das also accused Ms Banerjee of contempt of Supreme Court as the update of the NRC is being done under the direct the supervision of the top court.

Saugata Roy from Ms Banerjee's Trinamool Congress repeated her charges in parliament. Raising the issue during zero hour, he called the National Register of Citizens in Assam a "conspiracy to drive out the Bengali population". 

To which Home Minister Rajnath Singh responded by saying nobody will be left out of the citizen's register. "This is a baseless allegation that they are trying to throw someone out. If someone's name has been missed, it will be included in the list," Singh said.

The first draft of the new NRC was published with 1.9 crore names - out of 3.29 crore applicants - at midnight on December 31, reports NDTV. 

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