Guwahati, September 10: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has asserted that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) has little relevance in the state, as Hindu Bengalis have not sought citizenship under its provisions, confident instead of their Indian identity.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Sarma said there was “no reason to doubt” the citizenship of Hindu Bengalis who settled in Assam before 1971. He recalled that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had facilitated their settlement that year, with no mention of their return.
According to the CM, only 12 people in Assam have applied under the CAA so far, out of which three were granted citizenship. He added that since the implementation of the Immigration and Foreigners’ (Exemption) Order, 2025 — which allows minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians, to stay in India if they arrived before December 31, 2024, without passports or valid documents — no fresh applications have been filed.
Despite violent protests against the CAA in Assam in which five people lost their lives, Sarma said the law has had little impact in the state. “If lakhs of applications are filed, then we will take a call. For now, the issue does not arise here,” he said.
However, opposition parties and the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) have criticised the Centre, accusing it of violating the Assam Accord of 1985, which fixed March 1971 as the cut-off date to identify and deport illegal migrants. They argue that extending the cut-off first to 2014 under the CAA, and now to 2024 under the new order, effectively legalises recent arrivals of Hindu Bengalis from Bangladesh.
