Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the risk of (a) intercommunal violence, (b) mass statelessness, and (c) a humanitarian crisis from expulsions as a result of the citizen registration process in the Indian state of Assam.

The updating of the National Register of Citizens in Assam has increased tensions in the North East of India and caused concern among human rights defenders. The FCO network in India, and especially our Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, is watching developments closely. We maintain a continuous assessment of human rights issues in India, including those of religious minorities. This includes raising issues with Indian officials where appropriate.