Anticipating nationwide NRC, Karnataka Waqf Board directs mosques to help Muslims preserve documents

As the central government plans to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the near future, the Karnataka State Board of Waqfs has urged the state mosques to create awareness among the local Muslims to keep all the required documents ready to prove their citizenship.

In order to keep the local Muslims updated with the necessary legal documents to prove their domicile, the board have asked mosques to create registers with information on local Muslim families, along with certified, updated documents.

A circular has been issued by the board regarding the same.

"There is a need to preserve the important documents individually and collectively at Masjid level for convenience and easy accessibility for the community." the circular read.

"In order to equip ourselves with relevant convincing data, it is proposed to have a register in every Masjid containing the details of all Muslim residents in the jurisdiction of Masjid along with the certified documents,"



it added.

The circular has also stated that the government will conduct a fresh census in 2020, and the Muslim population will be deprived of many important schemes if they fail to produce proper documents.

According to the circular, the mosques have been directed to issue a self-assessment form for the Muslims which refers to every document required to prove their citizenship. The Muslims are required to fill the form and submit it at the earliest.

Home Minister Amit Shah and various other prominent BJP leaders have time and again reiterated their commitment to implement nationwide NRC. 

NRC has been implemented in Assam, and the final list was published on August 31 which excluded 1.9 million people and a total of 3,11,21,004 persons were found eligible for inclusion in the final list.

The people who have not been included in the list can still apply to the designated Foreigners' Tribunals within 120 days for their cases to be heard.