Assam Boy in Famous Aug 15 Photo, Saluting National Flag in Chest-deep Water, Not in NRC List

New Delhi: Last year, two children, while standing in chest-deep water, were seen saluting the Indian flag along with their teachers in Dhubri district of Assam. A year later, however, one of the young boys in the picture, Haydor Khan, has not found a place in the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

A report in Indian Express said that the other people in the photograph, excluding nine-year-old Haydor Khan, have made it to the list. Haydor’s 10-year-old relative Jiarul Khan, head teacher Tazen Sikder, in the blue shirt, assistant teacher Nripen Rabha have made the cut. Also, Haydor’s family members, including his mother, his 12-year-old brother, six-year-old sister and his grandfather too have made it.

“I don’t understand anything about the NRC… I will do whatever the learned people in our area say,” Haydor told the Indian Express over the phone from his home in Barkalia-Naskara village.

One of Haydor’s neighbbours said that people from her community were often rebuked as Bangladeshis but that “they were genuine, patriotic Indians”. The family told Indian Express that they were hopeful that Haydor’s name will appear in the final NRC.

The final draft NRC list was published on July 30 in which out of 3.29 crore people, names of 2.89 crore have been included in the draft NRC.

Names of 40,70,707 people do not figure in the list. Of these, 37,59,630 names have been rejected and the remaining 2,48,077 are on hold. The first draft of the NRC for Assam was published on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 according to the top court's direction. Names of 1.9 crore people out of the 3.29 crore applicants were incorporated.

Assam, which has faced influx of people from Bangladesh since the early 20th century, is the only state having an NRC, which was first prepared in 1951. The top court, which is monitoring the NRC work, had earlier said that the claims of those citizens, whose names do not figure in the draft NRC for Assam published by December 31 last year, would be scrutinised and included in the subsequent list, if found genuine.