‘NPR not to mark citizens as doubtful’
No documents needed for NPR process: Shah
New Delhi: Allaying fears over the National Population Register (NPR), Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday said no citizen will be marked “D” or “doubtful” during the updating exercise and no documents need to be furnished to prove citizenship.
The Modi government on Thursday assured Parliament that those responsible for riots “irrespective of their political, religious affiliation will be brought to book” after more than 50 people lost their lives and many got severely injured during the recent Delhi violence. Facing widespread criticism over its inability to control the situation and allegation that the “communal virus” unleashed by the ruling BJP would eventually pose a threat to democracy, the government in the Rajya Sabha also blamed the Opposition for spreading lies against the amended Citizenship Act, which the Union home minister said ignited hate speeches.
Replying to a short-duration discussion on Delhi violence in the Upper House, Union home minister Amit Shah asserted that that the government was not running away from debate, as alleged by the Opposition but only wanted peaceful Holi. He also apprised the upper
house that two persons who were found to have links with ISIS and were part of the conspiracy have been arrested by the Delhi Police.
The Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, led by the Congress, on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the government as well as the police over the Delhi violence last month that claimed over 50 lives, and warned that the spread of the “communal virus” would eventually pose a threat to democracy.
Initiating the discussion, Congress’s Kapil Sibal said the “communal virus” being unleashed by the BJP was “no less harmful” than the coronavirus and if the “virus” is spread among the youth, democracy will be destroyed.
Replying to the discussion, Mr Shah praised the role of the Delhi Police in controlling the riots and said that more than 2,600 people have been arrested by the police and scientific investigation is going on using the facial Recognition Software by using databases of driving license and voter identity cards. He said that no Supreme Court guideline on privacy has been violated and no Aadhaar data has been used. He added that 1922 faces have been identified using facial identification software. He informed that 50 serious cases of murder, attacks on religious places, hospitals, and educational institutions being handed over to three SITs.
Urging all parties to come together and dispel fears about the CAA and NPR, Mr. Shah said: “No document will be asked under NPR. You are free to give whatever information you want. Nobody will be marked a doubtful citizen. No one should be scared of NPR process.”