The Superintendent of Police, Cachar, Rakesh Roshan, called up the former Vice-Chancellor of Assam University,
Dr Tapodhir Bhattacharjee, on Friday night and requested him to proceed to Guwahati along with the
founder-president of the All Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Students’ Association (ACKHSA), Pradip Dutta Roy, immediately.
The media went on an overdrive and reported that Dr Bhattacharjee and Dutta Roy have been picked up for interrogation and have been taken to Guwahati just before the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is being published on July 30 next to be placed before the 3.29 crore residents of Assam.
Northeast Now caught hold of Dr Bhattacharjee and Dutta Roy at Silchar’s Kumbhirgram Airport and asked the reason behind the duo rushing to Guwahati on Saturday morning and returning on Sunday afternoon back to Silchar.
Stated the former V-C, “The Union Home Secretary, Rajiv Gauba, wanted to meet us at Raj Bhavan on Sunday morning, for which, we were told to reach Guwahati at the earliest possible. But, the meeting did not happen and we came back. I rather presume that he definitely wanted to take our views on NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Bill.”
On being quizzed that his name had not appeared in the first draft of the NRC, the former V-C replied, “If my name does not appear in the final draft tomorrow again, I would follow the procedure of claims and objections. However, I say with pride that I am an Indian and would like to die in this land,”
Pradip Dutta Roy, who is also a senior advocate of the Gauhati High Court, on being asked to comment on the final draft of NRC which is all scheduled to be published on July 30, said, “Let us patiently wait for tomorrow to come.”
