Assam NRC List Data Back Online, 10 Days After It Disappeared

It was reported that all data of the final NRC list was made offline due to non-renewal of contract with Wipro.

A file photo of people showing their acknowledgement receipts after checking their names in a draft for National Register of Citizens (NRC), in Guwahati. 

(Photo: PTI)

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) data is reported to be back online, ten days after it had disappeared from the website, The Indian Express reported. NRC State Coordinator Hitesh Dev Sarma said that it has been accessible online since Friday, 21 February, midnight.

It was earlier reported that all data of the final NRC list was made offline from its official website due to non-renewal of contract with the IT firm Wipro. Sarma had accepted that the data have been made offline, but refuted the allegation of any “malafide” intent in it.

Until Friday, the website was redirecting to an invalid page each time a user was asked to enter their Application Receipt Number.

Hours after Assam's updated citizenship data disappeared from the website 'nrcassam.nic.in' on 12 February, Sarma had said that the complaint against former NRC project officer was filed under Official Secrets Act in Paltan Bazar police station, as she "did not provide the password to the document, despite written reminders".

The Ministry of Home Affairs had earlier said that the Assam NRC list data going offline is nothing but a technical issue in visibility on the cloud.

Wipro, who was appointed as the System Integrator for NRC in Assam in 2014, had accepted that the IT Services Contract was not renewed by the authorities upon its expiry in October 2019. “However, as a gesture of goodwill, the company continued to pay the hosting service fee until January-end, 2020,” Wipro said.

In another FIR filed earlier with state criminal investigation department, NGO Assam Public Works (APW) alleged that former NRC Assam coordinator Prateek Hajela tampered with the final NRC list – published on 31 August 2019.

After the earlier NRC State Coordinator Prateek Hajela was released on 11 November following his transfer to home state Madhya Pradesh on a direction from the Supreme Court, Sarma was appointed in his place on 9 November.

The final NRC was published by excluding 19,06,657 persons. A total of 3,11,21,004 names were included out of 3,30,27,661 applicants.

(With inputs from The Indian Express)