The Forum Against Citizenship Act Amendment Bill, one of the anti-CAA organisations here, on Thursday demanded the immediate removal of newly-appointed National Register of Citizens (NRC) state coordinator Hitesh Dev Sarma for his “biased” attitude.
Sarma took charge as the Assam state coordinator for NRC on December 24. Sarma’s name was announced for the post on November 9, following the transfer of former NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela to Madhya Pradesh on deputation for three years.
“Complaints against Sarma have already been published in several media. Sarma is biased and controversial and he has publicly claimed that 50-60 lakh people of doubtful origin are included in the NRC. The controversial official will probably give rise to new complexity while completing the NRC update process. So, the forum seeks the immediate removal of Sarma,” it said in a press statement.
The forum also demanded that all the data related to the NRC should be kept safe.
Altogether 19.06 lakh applicants were excluded from the NRC published on August 31, 2019.
Earlier, Congress MP Abdul Khaleque had written to Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Assam governor Jagdish Mukhi, demanding the removal of Sarma, alleging that he was “biased and unreliable”.
The CPM in Assam had also “sought the removal” of Sarma and had said the
Assam government appointed a “biased” and “controversial” official as a state coordinator.
Citizens of Kumarpara on Wednesday night organised a prayer meet for martyrs of the ongoing anti-CAA agitation, in the presence of AASU leaders and prominent citizens.
The Naam Proxongo or prayer meet, held on the premises of Nayantora Club, was attended by AASU chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharjya, president Dipanka Kumar Nath, senior advocate and social activist Satyen Sarma, among others, along with several local people, all dressed in white to mark the sombre occasion.
Bhattacharjya lambasted the state government for its silence over the killing of innocents in the guise of suppressing the anti-CAA agitation.
Additional reporting by Ali Fauz Hassan
