From Bhupen Goswami
GUWAHATI : The Union Home Ministry has sought applications for citizenship from non-Muslim refugees from 13 districts living in India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. In this regard, the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued this notification under the Rules of Law in the Citizenship Act, 1955 and 2009. The North Eastern Students’ Union has challenged the Central Government to resume its agitation over the notification. All Assam Student Union as well as all north-eastern student organisations have challenged the government that the result will be terrible if the government takes any steps to implement the law in the North East. In fact, the CAA rules are yet to be laid down, but the Centre has also opened the way for granting citizenship to non-Muslim refugees.
On the one hand, rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act are yet to be laid down by the Modi government at the Centre, while it has issued a gazette notification on Friday empowering 13 districts of Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab to accept, verify and approve citizenship applications of minority communities of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Union Home Ministry has issued a notification to this effect for immediate implementation of the order under the Rules framed under the Citizenship Act, 1955 and 2009. The Home Ministry notification said, “In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 16 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, the Central Government has taken this step under Section 5 of the Act. Under this, people belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian minority communities of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan living in the above States and districts have been directed to register as Indian citizens. Those who are currently residing in Morbi, Rajkot, Patan and Vadodara in Gujarat, Durg and Balodbazar in Chhattisgarh, Jalore, Udaipur, Pali, Barmer and Sirohi in Rajasthan and Faridabad in Haryana and Jalandhar in Punjab will be eligible to apply for Indian citizenship.
It may be recalled that hundreds of Hindu Buddhist Jains and Christians had migrated to India to seek refuge after facing religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. They had come on tourist, pilgrim or visitor visa and settled here. They don’t want to return because they were facing religious violence there. In other countries, minorities were going through conversions, rapes and other tortures. These refugees have long been hoping for citizenship in India. The notification says, “Online application will be made for registration as a citizen of India. The district collector or secretary will get the application examined as per the cases as and when required. It is learnt that the government has not yet framed the rules under the Citizenship Amendment Act, which came into force in 2019. The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 is facing huge protests in several north-eastern states, a situation where the Home Minister has assured that tribal populated areas have been excluded from the purview of the Act. The Act seeks to grant Indian citizenship to religious minorities (Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians) from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan on or before December 31, 2014.
