Assam is likely to see 3-5 lakh applications under CAA: Himanta

The applicants will comprise only those who were excluded from the updated National Register of Citizens; while many will submit applications under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, others will take legal recourse, says the Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that about threefive lakh people will apply for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 (CAA), in the State, adding that the applicants will comprise only those who were excluded from the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC).

He also said that seven lakh Muslims and five lakh HinduBengalis, among others, were left out of the NRC list.

“Many HinduBengalis had come at different points of time and stayed at refugee camps. When they applied for inclusion in NRC, they submitted a stamped paper as proof of having stayed at such camps. But, Prateek Hajela (former NRC State coordinator) did not accept the paper. As a result, names of many HinduBengalis were not included in the NRC,” Mr. Sarma said in an interview to a local television channel here. He said that while many among the 5 lakh HinduBengalis will submit applications under the CAA, many others will take legal recourse.

Excluded from NRC

Applicants excluded from the NRC also include 2 lakh “proper Assamese” like those having Das surname, the KochRajbongshi (community) and 1.5 lakh Gorkhas, he said.

“There won’t be any 15 or 18 or 20 lakh or 1.5 crore applicants in Assam,” he said.

The Supreme Courtmonitored NRC was published on August 31, 2019, and had excluded 19 lakh of the 3.4 crore applicants.

The Centre had earlier this month implemented the CAA, notifying the rules four years after the law was passed by Parliament to fasttrack citizenship for undocumented nonMuslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.

Mr. Sarma said so far, no applications under the CAA have been made in the State, while in Gujarat, 12 families applied through the designated portal and were granted citizenship.

ANI A policeman standing guard as All Assam Students’ Union members tie back flags at the entrance gate of the Gauhati University during a protest against CAA, in Guwahati on Monday.