Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma downplayed fears over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), revealing that only three people have secured citizenship in the state since its implementation.
Guwahati
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that only three individuals have been granted Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in the state so far, against just 12 applications received.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official function, Sarma said fears that “lakhs of foreigners” would obtain citizenship through the CAA in Assam had proven baseless. “We have received only 12 applications, and of those, three have been approved. Nine are still under consideration,” he said, terming debates over the issue “futile.”
Sarma did not disclose the origin of the three individuals granted citizenship. The first to receive it was 50-year-old Dulon Das in August 2024.
The CM noted that opponents of the CAA had earlier claimed that 20–25 lakh people would gain citizenship in Assam. “Now, you yourself decide whether it is relevant to discuss the CAA when the numbers are so low,” he remarked.
The CAA, enacted in 2019, seeks to fast-track Indian citizenship for non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. It came into effect on March 11, 2024, after the Centre notified its rules.
Following its implementation, the Assam government directed police and tribunals not to pursue cases against non-Muslim immigrants who entered before 2015, advising them instead to apply for citizenship under the CAA.
