Silchar: Members of different organisations and political leaders of south Assam's Barak Valley have accepted the fact that there is a sense of worry among the people in this part of the state in connection with the publication of the final draft NRC.

Citizens' Rights Protection Co-ordination Committee co-chairman Sadhan Purkayastha said the people of the valley are extremely worried about the matter, especially because the majority of names of Barak Valley citizens were missing from the first draft NRC.

"Looking at the way the process is being conducted, people are bound to get worried. Only a few changes were made in the modalities related to the process. Moreover, it was also said that 1.5 lakh names, which were included in the first draft NRC, would be missing from the second draft NRC. All these have added to the tension of the masses," Purkayastha said.

All Assam Bengali Hindu Association (Aabha) president Basudeb Sharma said the first draft NRC escalated the tensions among the general public. "People here are definitely worried," he said and hoped the second draft NRC would not be like the first.

Karimganj (North) MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha echoed Sharma and said a majority of the names of the Barak Valley people were missing in the first draft NRC, which has instilled fear among people. "Though the government has given assurances that there is no need to panic, the scenario is a bit different but the people are worried," he said.

Former minister Ajit Singh said he suspects that the names of a large number of people would be missing from the second draft NRC as well.

Silchar MLA Dilip Kumar Paul said the issue is sensitive and there is definitely a sense of apprehension among the general public. "Some names will certainly be missing," he said.

"The NRC update process is important to solve the age-old issue of illegal migrants in Assam. We want it to be error-free. All genuine citizens should be included," he said. Paul also urged the people not to fall prey to rumours.

Tight vigil: security arrangements were tightened across the valley to prevent any untoward incident in connection with the publication of the final draft NRC.

Cachar superintendent of police Rakesh Roushan said 12 companies of forces have been deployed in the district. He said some sensitive places have been identified and elaborate security arrangements were in place to tackle any unpleasant situation.

Sources in Karimganj police said 10 companies of security personnel, comprising CRPF and BSF, have been brought and adequate measures are being taken to maintain law and order.