Guwahati, Dec. 30: Three members of martyrs and affected families of the Assam Movement in the 1970s have filed an intervention petition in the Supreme Court in a case regarding presence of illegal Bangladeshi migrants in Assam.

Through the petition, the members expressed apprehension that if names of lakhs of “illegal migrants” who entered Assam after 1951 find a place in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) then the indigenous people of the state will become a minority.

The trio who filed the petition are Bisweswar Hazarika, a former professor of the Assamese department of B. Borooah College and an active member of the Assam Movement, Dipak Kumar Nath, elder brother of martyr Rupak Nath who was killed in police firing while participating in a rail blockade programme at Tezpur during the movement, and Bhaskar Kiran Bora, son of Nibaran Bora, a prominent leader of the movement.

The petition has been filed supporting the Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha, NDFB (P) and Indigenous Peoples Front in their case against inclusion of the names of Bangladeshi migrants in the NRC who entered Assam after 1951 and certain amendments of the Citizenship Act, 1955. The Supreme Court accepted the petition on August 23.

“Through the petition we have opposed inclusion of the names of the illegal migrants who entered Assam after 1951 in the NRC. We believe if names of the illegal Bangladeshi migrants enter into the NRC, then indigenous people of the state will become a minority and lose all their rights,” said Bisweswar Hazarika.

On the other hand, Bora dubbed the Assam Accord, signed to bring the Assam Movement to an end, as naagpax (a trap made of million snakes as mentioned in Ramayan) accusing it of subjugating the spirit of people to fight the illegal migration problem.

The Assam Accord, which was signed by the Centre, Assam government, All Assam Students’ Union and All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad, agreed to accept those Bangladeshis who entered Assam before 1971 as Indian citizens and deport those who entered after it.

Assam Public Works, an NGO, is also fighting a case in the Supreme Court against inclusion of names of Bangladeshi migrants in the NRC. As the NGO accepts the agreements of the Assam Accord, it says only those Bangladeshis who entered Assam after 1971should not be allowed to register their names.

Its stand of accepting Bangladeshi migrants who entered Assam before 1971 has led Mahasangha and two other organisations into a war of accusation with each other. While Mahasangha accuses the NGO of “taking sides” of illegal Bangladeshis, APW accuses Mahasangha of trying to confuse the Supreme Court on the case.

Executive president of Mahasangha Matiur Rahman today said the Supreme Court is likely to give its final verdict on their case in June. “We hope the verdict will be in favour of the people,” said Rahman.