Assam NRC Coordinator's FIR: Predecessor Hajela's Errors Threatened National Security

Hitesh Dev Sharma, the state coordinator of the National Register of Citizens in Assam, has filed a case against his predecessor Prateek Hajela, alleging “indulgence in anti-national, and criminal activities”. “It is suspected then state coordinator Prateek Hajela willfully avoided the re-verification of remaining 33,794 persons out of 64,247 marked as ‘Originally Inhabitants of Assam’ of Chamairman Circle in particular and reverification of ‘OI’ marking of other circles as a whole to facilitate the entry of ineligible persons’ names into NRC, which can be treated as not only a dereliction of duty, but treason as such an activity is likely to threaten the national security,” reads the first information report. Hajela used the software which had no provision of quality checks enabling the verifying officers and the data entry operators to freely upload wrong results of Family Tree matching with ulterior motive.” ‘NRC CAN’t BE USED AS EVIDENCE’ Assam’s final NRC was published with much fanfare in August 2019. Names of lakhs of illegal Bangladeshis have been entered in the NRC,” said Abhijit Sharma, chairman, Assam Public Works Department, which is the main petitioner in the case in the Supreme Court against the names of illegal Bangladeshis in the voters’ list. On November 12, 2019, the Supreme Court ordered Hajela’s transfer from Assam to his home state Madhya Pradesh and he was released from the charge of NRC state coordinator.