New Delhi: Author and activist Arundhati Roy on Wednesday asked people to oppose the National Population Register (NPR) by providing false details about their names and addresses when officials come to collect their details.
Taking part in a protest at Delhi University against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed all-India National Register of Citizens (NRC), Roy said: “When officials visit your home for NPR and ask you your name, give them names like Ranga-Billa, Kungfu-Katta.”
She also alleged that the NPR is against Muslims, and it will serve as a database for the NRC. “They will visit your homes, take your name, phone number and ask for documents like Aadhaar and driving licences. The NPR will become database of NRC. We need to fight against it and have a plan,” Roy said.
“When they visit your home for NPR, and ask for your name give them some different name…For address say 7 RCR. A lot of subversion will be needed, we are not born to face lathis and bullets,” she added.
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Earlier on Tuesday, the Union cabinet approved funds of more than Rs 3,900 crore to update the NPR. Besides, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had claimed that there was no relation between the NPR and the NRC.
The NPR is a register of citizens in the country that will contain demographic and biometric details. The Census of India website describes it as “the first step towards the creation of a National Register of Citizens”.
Roy said that due to widespread protests against the CAA and the NRC throughout the country, the government is now trying to push the register through the NPR.