Ahead of the publication of the final list of the government's National Register of Citizens (NRC) on Saturday, several districts of Assam have been declared 'sensitive' and security has been beefed up as a precautionary measure.
Several districts including Barpeta has been declared as 'sensitive districts' ahead of the NRC final publication scheduled for August 31.
Violence has broken out in Barpeta during the NRC pilot project in 2010 and four people were killed in the police firing. With the publication date for final NRC list inching closer, district police is taking all the precautions to avoid any untoward situation.
Discussing the steps being taken, Superintendent of Police Barpeta, Dr Robin Kumar said: "This district consists of 178 NRC Sewa Kendra (NSK). To maintain law and order we have a four-tier security plan. If any situation arises, we will take action. We are confident that the final publication process will be carried out peacefully."
He also spoke about monitoring social media in the district to stop any kind of rumour-mongering. "We have social media monitoring centre in our district. I appeal to people that in case they receive any message, they should not react without verification," Kumar added.
Some residents of Barpeta said that even if they are excluded from the final list, they have 10 months time to challenge their exclusion and exuded hope of continued peace in the region.
Under NRC the citizens will have to prove that they are the residents of India and their families have been living in India before 1971. If anyone's name doesn't show in the final list, he or she will not be sent immediately to the detention camp. People will get a window of 10 months to prove their citizenship.
( With inputs from ANI )