Despite Submitting Documents, I’m Excluded From Final NRC List

Video Editor: Vishal Kumar

I am Sarbari Bhattacharjee, now 55 years old. I was born and brought up in Baranagar, Kolkata, West Bengal. My maiden name is Sarbari Chakraborty and my father’s name is Late Sudhangsu Chakraborty. I got married to Sujoy Bhattacherjee, a resident of Assam. in 1982 after which we moved to Bongaigaon, Assam.

My husband is now a retired Indian Railways employee and I’m a homemaker. Everyone from my husband’s side of the family is included in the final list of the NRC based on his father Rabindra Nath Bhattacharjee’s legacy documents. The only two people in my family excluded are my brother-in-law’s wife and I – the two women married to the family.

When the NRC process started in 2015, I submitted all my legacy documents.

I submitted the property document of my father’s house from 1934, and my 10th board admit card from the State Board Of West Bengal dated 1982, which has my passport size photo, date of birth and father’s name.

I submitted my marriage registry certificate and the matriculation exam admit card as well but the NRC officials were not interested in them. They said the other documents are sufficient. They said it will be done.

My marriage certificate from 1982 states my father’s name, date of marriage, and the name of my husband’s father as well. My father, Sudhangsu Chakraborty, was an employee of West Bengal State Government in Baranagar Municipality, Kolkata, from 1962 until he passed away in 1986 while on the job. We have also submitted my mother Late Preeti Kona Chakraborty’s pension order certificate issued from Baranagar Municipality, which she received upon the death of my father.

We checked with Baranagar Municipality Councilor and they were kind enough to share a certificate confirming that my father was indeed employed in Baranagar Municipality since 1962 till he passed away. However, the NRC officials were not interested in these documents also, stating these were not dated back to 1971.

I have been casting my vote in Assam and possess a PAN card, passport and an Aadhar card.

In 2019, when there was another hearing, I was out of town at my daughter’s place. The hearing was on 6 April, but I could not attend it. My father-in-law attended it for me. The NRC officials said that the individual has to be present in person and they didn’t accept the documents.

After a month, when I came back, I again went to the NRC Seva Kendra. They didn’t take the documents but took my biometrics. They said it will get done.
Finally, on 31 August, when the final NRC list was announced, my name was not there.
I was very sad that my name was not included in the NRC. What am I supposed to do now?

(The Quint has a copy of all documents submitted by Sarbari Bhattacharjee.)

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