Hardline members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party want to expand a controversial register that could strip millions of their citizenship, in a move aimed at attracting majority Hindu voters ahead of national elections.
A draft national register of citizens, or NRC, released in the eastern state of Assam last week identified around 4 million people, mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims, who could be classified as illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh. Activists say the process puts many at risk of deportation and could stoke sectarian tensions.
