Online census of Assamese Muslims launched
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The train, seen as ‘mini-NRC’, goals to differentiate three classes of indigenous Muslims from their migrant Bengal-origin counterparts
The Janagosthiya Samannay Parishad, Assam (JSPA) on Thursday launched a portal for conducting the first-ever census of Assamese Muslims for distinguishing them from their migrant, Bengal-origin or Bengali-speaking counterparts.
The JSPA represents three classes of Assamese Muslims — Goriya who transformed from varied indigenous teams and tribes, Moriya whose ancestors had been introduced by the Ahom kings to make weapons and utensils and Deshi who transformed particularly from the Koch-Rajbongshi neighborhood.
The three-month train, seen as a small-scale model of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), has a cut-off interval corresponding with the British annexation of Assam within the early 1800s. The JSPA considers the pre-British rule Muslims of Assam as indigenous, which is why the Jolahas — converts from amongst tea plantation employees who had been introduced from central India by British planters — have been stored out of the census.
Released in August 2019, the NRC had excluded 19.06 lakh of 3.3 crore candidates for lack of paperwork establishing them because the residents of India. The cut-off interval for the NRC was March 24, 1971, as prescribed by the Assam Accord of 1985 for detecting and deporting foreigners or “illegal immigrants”.
“We launched the portal jspacensus.com portal today [April 15] to coincide with the Assamese New Year and hope to complete the exercise by the end of 2021,” JSPA’s chief convenor Syed Mominul Aowal stated.
The portal has a listing of paperwork that candidates should add for registration. They embrace voter card, Aadhaar card and PAN of every member of the family (non-mandatory for minors), a licensed copy from village head, municipal board, city committee or every other competent authority in addition to a licensed copy from JSPA-empanelled organisations itemizing all members of an applicant’s household.
The portal additionally lists 17 organisations recognised or empanelled with the JSPA and their cellphone numbers to be contacted for any points with registering on-line. These organisations embrace Desi Janagostiyo Manch, Assam, Axomiya Muslim Kalyan Parishad, Khilonjiya Axomiya Musolman Unnayan Parishad and Hodow Khilonjiya Muslim Oikyo Manch.
The JSPA has additionally offered a helpline and the cellphone numbers of all its affiliate organisations for guiding the indigenous Muslims in getting themselves registered.
“This exercise was necessary as some migrant Muslims have undertaken an initiative to bring all Muslims living in Assam under one umbrella. Our religion and names may be the same but the indigenous Muslims have a distinct identity, given by the Ahom and Koch kings,” Mr. Aowal stated.
According to the 2011 census, Muslims account for 34.22% of Assam’s inhabitants. The JSPA claims Assam immediately has about 1.4 crore Muslims, of whom 40 lakh are indigenous Muslims.
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