First CAA citizenship granted in Assam to Bangladesh-origin Hindu

Silchar resident Dulon Das has become the first person in Assam to receive Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). The Union Home Ministry notified Das of his successful application on August 13, 2024, at 3:41 pm.

Das, 50, applied for citizenship on April 1, 2024, with the registration number 202400800772. His family migrated to Silchar from Bangladesh's Sylhet region in 1988 due to repeated attacks. Despite living in India for over three decades, Das and his family were unable to establish their citizenship through the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process.

The CAA, which fast-tracks citizenship for non-Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014, provided a new avenue for Das to secure his status. The act's rules were notified in March 2024, allowing applications to begin.

Das's lawyer, Dharmananda Deb, a former member of Foreigners Tribunal-4 in Silchar, revealed that eight people have applied for citizenship under CAA across Assam, with two withdrawing their applications. Six applications, including Das's, were under review by the Home Ministry.

The citizenship process involved police verification, and Das provided documents including land ownership deeds from Sylhet. He has been instructed to collect his citizenship certificate from the Regional Passport Office in Guwahati, though his legal team is exploring alternatives due to the 300 km distance.

Das, who lives with his wife and two sons, has been voting in Assam since 1996 and owns land in Silchar. His family members possess documents such as Aadhaar cards, and Das obtained a driving license in the early 2000s.

The low number of applications under CAA in Assam has been attributed to a lack of awareness. The act's implementation was a significant campaign promise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in recent national and state elections.

As the first successful applicant in Assam, Das's case marks a milestone in the controversial CAA's implementation, potentially paving the way for more applications from eligible individuals in the region.