The National Register of Citizens (NRC) announced the second and final draft of Assam on Monday at 10 am.

The NRC was released online and in all the NRC Sewa Kendras (NSK) across the state at 10 am, NRC State Coordinator Prateek Hajela said.

The NRC features the names, addresses and photographs of all Indian citizens, who have been residing in the north eastern state before March 25, 1971.

Security has been beefed up across the state to prevent any law and order situation following the publication of the draft, with deputy commissioners and SPs being directed to maintain a strict vigil, a senior police official said. Prohibitory order under Section 144 of CrPC has been imposed in seven districts– Barpeta, Darrang, Dima Hasao, Sonitpur, Karimganj, Golaghat and Dhubri.

The Centre has despatched 220 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces to gear up security in Assam and neighbouring states. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had held a high-level meeting recently on the NRC draft release and directed the officers to remain alert and help and explain the process of claims and objections to people whose names do not appear in the draft. Sonowal had also directed the officials not to refer any case to the Foreigners’ Tribunal based on the NRC draft list.

Hajela thanked the people for extending their help and co-operation along with all the officers and employees involved in updating the NRC for their hard work and dedication. He too pointed out that there would be enough scope for claims by people whose names do not appear in the draft, adding “genuine citizens should not panic if their names fail to figure in the document”. If a person’s name does not appear in the draft, they have to apply in prescribed forms in their respective NSKs.

The NRC is being updated under the Supreme Court supervision with March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date for genuine Indian citizens in Assam. The first draft of the ongoing NRC process was released at the midnight of December 31, 2017. It comprised 1.9 crore names out of the total application of 3.29 crore people in Assam.