DESIGNED TO EXCLUDE: HOW INDIA'S COURTS ARE ALLOWING FOREIGNERS TRIBUNALS TO RENDER PEOPLE STATELESS IN ASSAM 9 1957 The Government of India repeals the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act. 1979-85 Six-year-long Assam agitation is spearheaded by AASU and All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP) for ‘detection, disenfranchisement and deportation’ of foreigners. 2009 Assam Public Works (APW), an NGO, files a case in Supreme Court asking for the deletion of foreigners’ name in electoral rolls and the updating of NRC. 2018 Government of Assam publishes second draft of NRC and excludes 4 million people. 1962 Assam Police Border Organization is established to ‘detect and deport’ irregular foreigners. 1983 Violence breaks out in central part of Assam including Nellie and nearby villages. 1,800 people are killed. Unofficial data counts it to be somewhere between 3,0005,000 dead. 2010 Pilot project starts in Chaygaon, Barpeta to update the NRC. Four killed in violence in Barpeta. Project shelved. August 2019 Government of Assam publishes final draft of NRC and excludes 1.9 million people. 1963 Nagaland is separated from Assam. 1983 The Government of India passes the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act to determine ‘in a fair manner’ whether a person is an irregular migrant for the Government of India to expel such a person from India. It applies to the whole of India but comes into force only in Assam. 2013 Supreme Court takes up the APW petition, directs the Government of India and Government of Assam to begin the process for updating NRC under its oversight. NRC State Coordinator’s office is set up. November 2019 Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah says there will be a ‘nationwide’ NRC, including Assam.