Silchar: All Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Students' Association founder-president Pradip Dutta Roy on Thursday alleged that the names of at least 10 lakh illegal citizens (Bangladeshis) have been included in the final draft National Register of Citizens.

Roy said here on Thursday that almost 50 per cent of people staying in six districts of Assam - Dhubri, Goalpara, Nagaon, Barpeta, Karimganj and Hailakandi - are illegal migrants from Bangladesh, but around 95 per cent of these people have appeared in the final draft NRC. This will total to at least 10 lakh people, he said.

"How were around 95 per cent names of people who came to this country after March 24, 1971 included in the draft list?" he questioned, calling for a thorough probe.

He alleged that a section of corrupt officials of different NRC Seva Kendras have helped such "illegal" people get their names included in the draft NRC in exchange of money. "The NRC update process has become a farce. It should be done in a new way. The Assam Accord, according to which the process is being done, will have no meaning if the current process continues," he said.

He appealed to the Supreme Court for its intervention and urged that the NRC process be redone/restarted. "The government's aim to detect illegal immigrants through the NRC process will be successful only if it is started again in a proper manner," he said.

He also slammed NRC state co-ordinator Prateek Hajela for his suggestion to the apex court to cut down five documents from the list for claims and objections exercise and demanded that Hajela be divested of his duties regarding the NRC process.

Sadhan Purkayastha, general secretary of the Citizens' Rights Protection Co-Ordination Committee, said the claim by Roy that at least 10 lakh illegal citizens' names have been included in the draft NRC was "completely baseless".

He suspected the remark is a "conspiracy" to create complexities/chaos surrounding the update process.

Karimganj North MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha termed the remark "insane".