Assam govt has no info on people excluded from NRC list: minister
Guwahati: Two days after senior BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the figure of Hindu Bengalis excluded from the updated final NRC would be tabled in the Assembly, the Assam government on Saturday said it has no information of those left out of the controversial document.
In a written reply to a query by Congress MLA Nurul Huda in the Assembly, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said the Office of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) Coordinator has not shared the data of 19,06,657 excluded people with the state government.
"That is why the government has no information on this issue," the minister said on behalf of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal who holds the Home portfolio.
Once the information is received from the NRC Coordinator's office, the state government will initiate necessary steps, Patowary said.
Sarma on Thursday told reporters outside the House that the Assam government has decided to table the district- wise figure of Hindu Bengalis excluded from the final NRC list during the ongoing Winter Session of the Assembly which is scheduled to come to an end on December 6.
It has been alleged from various quarters that a large number of Hindus have been excluded from the updated final NRC published on August 31.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced in Rajya Sabha on November 20 that the NRC updation process will be carried out afresh in Assam concurrently with the rest of India. On the same day, Sarma said the state government has requested Shah to reject the NRC in the current form.
Patowary on Saturday also said the Assam government has no information that any person from the state has been harassed in other Northeastern states such as Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram over whether his or her name was included in the NRC.
The state government also does not have any information on reports that 223 Assamese people were expelled from Meghalaya for failing to prove that their names were included in the document.
The Supreme Court-monitored NRC updation exercise, aimed at identifying illegal immigrants, mostly from erstwhile East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh), was carried out in Assam which has been facing an influx of people from the neighbouring country since the early 20th century.
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Three footballers of Indian origin named in squads for FIFA World Cup 2026
New Delhi: Three footballers of Indian origin have been named in preliminary or final squads for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, scheduled to be held across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
According to a report published by Mathrubhumi, Sarpreet Singh was included in the New Zealand national football team squad which was announced on Wednesday.
Born in Auckland to Indian parents, Singh was eligible to represent India through his family roots but chose to play for New Zealand. The 27-year-old attacking midfielder made his senior international debut in 2018 and has since become a regular member of the national side.
Singh has made 26 appearances for New Zealand and has scored three goals while providing seven assists.
Julen Lopetegui has included two players of Indian origin: Niall Mason and Tahsin Mohammed, in Qatar’s selections for the tournament.
Mason, a defender whose mother is Indian, previously trained in the youth academies of Real Madrid, Southampton FC and Aston Villa FC. Although he received his first senior call-up earlier this year, the Qatar defender is yet to make his senior international debut.
Tahsin Mohammed, 19, was born to parents from Kerala’s Kannur district. His father Jamshid is from Thalassery, while his mother Shaima belongs to Valapattanam. The winger became the first player of Indian origin to feature in the Qatar Stars League, Qatar’s premier domestic football competition.
Mohammed has made two appearances for the senior Qatar side, including in a World Cup qualifier against Afghanistan in June 2024.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be jointly hosted by United States, Mexico and Canada.
