Pradip Kumar Bhuyan, the man behind the petition that started the National Register of Citizens (NRC) update exercise, on Saturday said his intention was not to trigger a humanitarian crisis.
Bhuyan said the government’s constant neglect has made the problem burgeon into an unsalvagable mess, which has huge human rights implications.
“The exercise is so massive that it is bound to affect people. It is so massive that if there is even 1% discrepancy, it means affecting the lives of three lakh people!What happened in the last few years can be traced to the faults in operation and implementation,” Bhuyan told Indian Express.
“I never want anyone to be persecuted — especially women and children,” said the 82-year-old.
The Indian government needs to take responsibility for this, he said, adding, why did successive governments ignore this issue since 1985?”