Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha
A view of the press conference by the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha (BGP) in Guwahati on Sunday. Image credit - Northeast Now

The Gorkhas of Assam, who were left out of the final NRC, will not appear before Foreigners’ Tribunals (FTs) to prove their citizenship, said an organisation representing the community on Sunday.

Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha’s national president Sukhman Muktan while addressing a press conference in Guwahati said, “The Gorkhas of Assam won’t go to the Foreigners’ Tribunals (FTs) to prove their citizenship.”

The final updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam was published on August 31 with exclusion of over 19 lakh names.

Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha (BGP) is stated to be the only registered national organisation of Indian Gorkhas representing 10.5 millions of Gorkhas with 22 states units and 5 zones including the Northeast zone.

“The Gorkhas being tried in the FT is an insult” despite being Indians, said Muktan.

Also read: No genuine Indian Gorkhas will be left out of NRC: Assam chief secretary

“We can file defamation against the system for challenging Gorkhas’ citizenship and Nepali-speaking population being taken to the FTs,” Moktan added.

He said a national delegation of the BGP had a week-long tour across Assam including Nagaon, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Majuli, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong, Hojai, Morigaon, Kamrup Rural and Kamrup (M).

During the tour, the BGP delegation met the Gorkhas, who were left out of final NRC and also those who have been marked as D-voters, he said.

Moktan said, “The Indian Gorkhas whose names were left out in the final NRC have been directed to go to the FTs as per the NRC guidelines despite exemption as per a notification from the ministry of home affairs.”

“This is an attempt of a few vested interests within the system to disrespect Indian Gorkhas, who are actually original inhabitants as is proved by our historically and mythologically recorded presence since centuries,” he claimed.

The Gorkha organization claimed that over 1 lakh people of the community have been excluded from the final NRC.

BGP national secretary Nanda Kirati Dewan said, “Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh suggests the state government to form empowered committee to dispose of the cases of Gorkhas excluded from NRC.”

BGP secretary general Nirmal Kumar Pun said, “No Indian Gorkhas should be left out of the NRC. BGP as a vigilant civil society organisation will play a vital role as it is a judiciary monitored process.”