Researchers mistaken for NRC surveyors in Bihar village, handed over to police
Darbhanga (Bihar): A team of researchers from Lucknow mistaken as surveyors for NRC was caught by residents of a village here and handed over to the police, a senior official said on Sunday.
Superintendent of Police, Darbhanga, Babu Ram said the incident took place on Friday when the team, comprising 12 people, including four women, visited a village under Jamalpur police station area.
The team was from a Lucknow-based research organization, which was engaged by a US-based PhD scholar.
However, as they began visiting households and collecting information, the word spread that "NRC surveyors" had arrived following which villagers grew furious and held them hostage for some time before dragging them to the police station.
The situation was defused at the police station where officials verified the identities of the researchers and explained the fact to the villagers, who then went back satisfied, the SP said.
He, however, added that similar incidents have taken place in the district in recent past and an awareness campaign has been launched as part of which residents are being told to "inform the police or local administrative officials" if any surveyors in their area aroused suspicion "instead of illegally detaining them".
With the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR) spreading in different parts of Bihar, people engaged in conducting surveys for private research and marketing companies are being mistakenly targeted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose JD(U) is an ally of the BJP, have been at pains to explain that the CAA would expedite grant of citizenship to refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, having fled religious persecution in their countries, without affecting Indians and that there was no move so far to bring in the nationwide NRC.
Opposition parties have, however, accused the NDA of misleading the people on the issue and pointed out that a country-wide NRC was mentioned in the BJPs manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls.
The NRC had also found mention in President Ram Nath Kovind address to a joint session of Parliament last year besides in Union Home Minister Amit Shahs speech when the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was being debated in the Lok Sabha, the opposition parties said.
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UP: Woman tehsildar accuses Firozabad DM of harassment, seeks CM's intervention
Firozabad (UP) (PTI): A woman tehsildar here has levelled serious allegations of harassment and undue pressure against the district magistrate, even as no official response from the latter was available till Friday.
Tehsildar Rakhi Sharma, posted in Tundla, accused District Magistrate (DM) Ramesh Ranjan and his office of pressuring her to manipulate an inquiry report related to alleged corruption.
Addressing reporters, Sharma claimed she was asked by the DM, his officer on special duty (OSD) and other staff to present the inquiry report in a particular manner. "When I refused to comply, I was subjected to harassment," she alleged, adding that the harassment has been continuing for the past nine months.
She further alleged her salary was withheld without any explanation, and she was given an adverse entry in her service record.
Sharma also claimed that the DM's OSD demanded an iPhone from her, which she provided, and the device was being currently used by the DM.
According to Sharma, her salary was later released following a court order, but the harassment continued and multiple inquiries were initiated against her.
The tehsildar has sought intervention from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, demanding action against the district magistrate and a high-level probe into the matter.
She also raised questions over her apparent transfer from Tundla to Shikohabad, saying she has not received any official transfer order yet.
Efforts to contact the district magistrate for a response were unsuccessful, and no official statement has been issued from his side till late Friday.
Meanwhile, Sharma also lodged an FIR at Tundla police station against a local reporter of a news channel, alleging threats and invoking relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
