Only 3 granted citizenship under CAA in Assam despite 40 applications so far
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act has seen minimal impact in Assam as fear of identification and NRC claims deter many illegal migrants from coming forward.
A file image of people in Assam (Photo: @himantabiswa/x)
Guwahati, Nov 22: The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 is yet to make much impact in Assam as only three persons have received Indian citizenship under the Act in the State so far. Two persons received citizenship earlier and one got recently under the provisions of the Act.
Official sources told The Assam Tribune that around 40 applications have been received under the provisions of the Act. But the actual number of people applying for citizenship would be much less as some applied twice and a few even applied thrice.
It may be mentioned here that under the provisions of the CAA, the government decided to provide Indian citizenship to persons belonging to Parsi and Christian communities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014.
The sources said that applications are first checked by the district-level committees and then by a state-level committee. The applications are then verified by the Intelligence Bureau before a decision is taken to grant Indian citizenship to any applicant.
The applicants have to pro-vide documents like birth certificate issued in the country of origin. They can also submit documents like any identity proof including driving licence, school certificate, land records, etc., of the country of origin. They can also provide pass-ports issued by the country of origin or visa issued by India.
However, since most of the Bangladeshi people, be it Hindu or Muslim, entered India illegally, it is difficult for them to prove on which date they entered India. Moreover, most of them have been staying illegally in India for a long period, and now they are not willing to identify themselves as Bangladeshi nationals by applying for citizenship under the CAA, sources said.
Moreover, majority of such people had applied for inclusion of names in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) claiming that they are Indian citizens. Now they will not claim that they are Bangladeshi nationals, the sources said.
The sources admitted that the foreigners who have stayed in Assam for a long period must have obtained documents and may have even voted. Now such people will not come for-ward to claim that they are foreigners.