India asks 4mn people in NE state of Assam to prove their nationality

30 Jul, 2018 08:41 / Updated 6 years ago

India has released a final draft of a list of its citizens in the northeastern state of Assam, leaving some 4 million people desperately needing to prove their Indian nationality. Hundreds of thousands of people have illegally entered India from neighboring Bangladesh over decades and settled down in the northeast India, according to officials. Bangladesh rejects this claim, however. The application process for inclusion in India’s national register started in 2015. Of 32.9 million applicants, the names of 28.9 million have been approved and included in the draft, said officials in Gauhati, the capital of Assam state. More than 4 million people who were left out can file appeals by September 30 and prove their Indian nationality by providing documents. Until then, no-one will be declared an illegal migrant, AP reports.