Guwahati, Dec 13: In a first for Assam, a 40-year-old woman from Sribhumi district has been granted Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). She entered India from Bangladesh in 2007. A 61-year-old man from Cachar district has also been granted citizenship, making them the first two beneficiaries of the CAA in the state.
The CAA, passed on December 11, 2019, triggered widespread protests across Assam. Since the notification of the rules last year, around 40 people in the state have applied for citizenship under the Act. The legislation allows Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain and Parsi migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, who entered India between March 25, 1971, and December 31, 2014, to apply for Indian citizenship.
Assam has nearly two lakh individuals identified as doubtful citizens, but only a small number have applied under the CAA so far. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has repeatedly stated that most Hindu migrants came to Assam before the 1971 cut-off.
Senior advocate Dharmananda Deb, a former member of the Foreigners Tribunal in Silchar, told reporters that the Ministry of Home Affairs issued the citizenship certificates on Friday. The citizenship, he said, is deemed effective from the date the individuals entered India. He declined to disclose their identities, citing concerns over possible social harassment.
According to Deb, the woman—who uses the surname Banerjee—came to Silchar in 2007 to accompany a family member for treatment at Silchar Medical College and Hospital. During her stay, she met a man from Sribhumi district (formerly Karimganj), married him, and settled there. The couple later had a son. While her family continues to live in Chittagong, Bangladesh, she had long aspired to become an Indian citizen.
After the CAA rules were notified last year, she applied for citizenship. Her first application, submitted in July, was rejected due to confusion arising from the delimitation exercise ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The Badarpur area, where she resides, was partially shifted from Sribhumi to Cachar district, leading to uncertainty over jurisdiction. Following a reapplication, her case was eventually approved.
Deb said she is the first woman in Assam to receive citizenship under the CAA and, notably, the first in the state to be granted citizenship through the registration route.
The citizenship was granted under Section 5(1)(c), read with Section 6B of the Citizenship Act, 1955, which allows a person married to an Indian citizen to register as an Indian citizen after residing in India for at least seven years.
Also Read: Winter Tales 2025 continues to enchant Shillong with sustainability and culture
Also Watch
Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.
Also, Follow us on
Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub
Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020
Instagram- www.instagram.com/ne_media_hub
Download our app from playstore – Northeast Media Hub
