The All Assam Minorities Students’ Union (AAMSU) on Saturday pointed out that several obstacles had impeded filing of claims and objections for inclusion in the National Register of Citizens (NRC), leading to the low number of applications.

According to reports, out of the 40 lakh people left out of the final draft NRC, around nine lakh have submitted their claims for inclusion in the final NRC so far. With just a week remaining till the deadline for filing claims and objections ends on December 15, the process needed to be streamlined, the union said.

AAMSU adviser Azizur Rahman said, “As the deadline for the claims and objection process approaches, people visiting NRC Seva Kendras (NSKs) to have their names included in the register are facing more hurdles. The number of claims filed by applicants, who are genuine citizens and possess requisite documents, has come down. State NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela violated The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003, by suggesting to the Supreme Court that five legacy documents should be removed. Till the final judgment comes out in this issue, people are waiting to file their claims.”

Rahman said the standard operating procedure filed by the Centre, which stipulates that List B documents like linkage documents of legacy data issued after August 31, 2015, will not be accepted, was causing problems for people with valid documents but lacking linkage papers.

AAMSU and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind have filed a petition in the apex court, urging it to pass orders directing the NRC authority to accept List B documents and challenging the two cut-off dates.

One of the “cut-off dates” refers to the Assam Accord, which says that anybody entering the state from Bangladesh after the midnight of March 24, 1971, would be treated as an illegal migrant. A cut-off date for documents is adding to people’s woes, the organisations argue.

The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, has deferred hearing of the petition till next week, Rahman said.

He also accused the state government of ignoring the Supreme Court’s directions and engaging NRC officials in panchayat election work, leading to lack of personnel at the NSKs. Some kendras are not accepting more than 30 claims in a day, he claimed.

The union urged the state government and the NRC authority to expedite filing of claims and objections while requesting some organisations not to vitiate the atmosphere. “No genuine citizen should be deprived from being included in the NRC,” Rahman said.