Travellers suffer as NRC reverberates in Meghalaya

Ribhoi (Meghalaya), 1 August 2018:

Blame it on the publication of draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam. Tourists, travelling to picturesque Meghalaya capital Shillong, are subjected to alleged harassment by the police in the state in the name of verification of identity documents.

On Tuesday, the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) sent back dozens of travellers from the Ri Bhoi district, bordering Assam, claiming that they were illegal immigrants. On Tuesday, it was the turn of police to intercept vehicles for the purpose of checking citizenship documents of the occupants.

Md. Faheem Akhtar, a tourist from Bokaro in Jharkhand who was travelling to Shillong with his family, had a harrowing time in convincing the police that he was an Indian.

He had shown his digital ID but the policemen on duty at an “immigration check post” insisted he produces a documentary evidence of his identity.

“This is my digital Aadhar card. Doesn’t the Prime Minister talk of making India digital? So, why are you disturbing me and wasting my time?” Akhtar told two policemen during a brief altercation. Later, he was allowed to proceed.

Inspector L Syiem, who is in-charge of the immigration check post, told InsideNe that they were checking the identity documents of travellers to thwart the possible influx of illegal immigrants.

“Our frisking has nothing to do with the publication of draft NRC. We have been doing this from before. Once the final NRC list is out, we will go by the rules. There is a fear among our people that the 40 lakh people, whose names did not figure in NRC, might infiltrate into neighbouring states. So, we have to be cautious because Meghalaya is a small state,” Syiem said.

A constable told InsideNe the checking of documents of travellers was “due to pressure from our NGOs”.

https://www.facebook.com/ne.inside/videos/1937525233213866/