2 die in mishap amid NRC re-verification rush in Assam

At least two persons, including a woman and a child, were killed and 38 others were injured in the wee hours of Wednesday in Assam after the bus they were travelling in hit a roadside tree and overturned while on its way to a re-verification hearing of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The bus with 40 people on board was returning to their village under Chaygaon area in Assam's Kamrup district. "We were told that the 40 people had gone to Golaghat to appear in the re-verification hearing of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) scheduled for Tuesday," police said adding that while two people died on the spot 13 of them received serious injuries.

"The incident took place around 2.30 a.m. today (Wednesday). The 13 seriously injured were admitted in Guwahati Medical College and Hospital," police said adding that the two deceased were identified as Chhaymur Nessa and Arjuma Begum.

Prior to this several vehicles carrying people heading for the NRC re-verification process had met with accidents in different parts of the state, that killed a few people and injured over 50 others.

One elderly woman summoned for NRC re-verification died at Kaliabar in Assam due to heatstroke on Tuesday.

NRC authorities have started a re-verification of some of the people whose names figured in the draft NRC published last year. The authorities have started the process suddenly giving just 24 to 48 hours to people to appear for re-verification at NRC Seva Kendras located over 500 kms from their hometowns.

Several organizations in Assam including the opposition Congress have reacted strongly to the re-verification process started by the NRC authorities and demanded a clarification on the issue by the NRC state coordinator.

While the Forum against Citizenship Bill has condemned the sudden re-verification started from August 5, Assam Congress chief and Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora has demanded the intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to stop the re-verification.

The Supreme Court which had been monitoring the NRC updation process, had recently turned down a petition from the Assam government as well as from the Central government seeking sample re-verification of 20 per cent of people in districts bordering Bangladesh and 10 per cent sample re-verification for people in other districts. IANS