Names of Lakhs of Foreign Nationals Included in NRC, Claims Former Coordinator

Former NRC state coordinator Hitesh Dev Sarma has alleged large-scale errors in the National Register of Citizens (NRC), stating that lakhs of foreign nationals were wrongly included while many indigenous people were excluded. He cited sample verifications in areas like Dalgaon and Baghbar that showed up to 40% error rates—far beyond acceptable limits.

Sarma claimed that over 13.2 lakh names were added without proper document verification and that around 64,000 suspected immigrants were wrongly marked as original inhabitants in certain areas. He estimated that 60 to 70 lakh foreigners may have been included in the NRC due to software flaws, lack of quality checks, and possible data manipulation by officials from specific communities. He also criticized the process of calling people to distant districts for verification, leading to further exclusion of genuine citizens. Sarma called for a complete reverification of the NRC.