Bangladeshi woman living in Assam becomes first to get Indian citizenship under CAA
Silchar: A 40-year-old woman residing in Assam’s Sribhumi district has become the first woman in the state to be granted Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). She had entered India from Bangladesh in 2007.
According to a report published by NDTV on Saturday, Senior advocate Dharmananda Deb, a former Foreigners Tribunal (FT) member in Silchar, said the woman, who uses the surname Banerjee, came to Silchar in 2007 to accompany a relative undergoing treatment at Silchar Medical College and Hospital. During her stay, she met a man from Sribhumi district, formerly Karimganj, married him, and decided to settle in Assam. The couple later had a son.
Her family in Bangladesh's Chittagong still lives there, but she had long wished to become an Indian national. After the CAA rules were notified last year, she said.
Her first application, filed in July last year, was rejected due to administrative confusion arising from the delimitation exercise conducted ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. As per the report, Badarpur area, where she now lives, was partially moved from Sribhumi to Cachar, creating uncertainty over her district jurisdiction. The lawyer reapplied, and her case was finally approved.
Deb reportedly said she is the first woman in Assam to receive citizenship under the CAA, and notably the first in the state to be granted citizenship through the registration route.
"This was granted under Section 5(1)(c), read with Section 6B of the Citizenship Act, 1955, which allows a person married to an Indian citizen to register as an Indian citizen after residing in India for seven years," NDTV quoted the senior advocate as saying.
Another man, 61, from the Cachar district, also received citizenship.
According to the report, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued the citizenship certificates on Friday, and the citizenship is deemed to have taken effect from the date the applicants first entered India. Deb declined to disclose their names, citing possible social harassment.
The CAA, passed on December 11, 2019 reportedly, had sparked state-wide protests, particularly in Assam. Since the rules were notified last year, nearly 40 people in the state have applied. As per the report, the legislation allows Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain and Parsi migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who entered India between March 25, 1971, and December 31, 2014, to apply for Indian citizenship.
Assam has nearly two lakh individuals identified as doubtful citizens, though only a small number have applied under the CAA so far. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has repeatedly said that most Hindus migrated to Assam before the 1971 cut-off.
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Speaker UT Khader attends local cricket tournament during Bhatkal visit
Bhatkal: Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly U. T. Khader visited Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district on Saturday and attended a local cricket match being played as part of a tournament organised by the Cosmos Sports Centre of Bhatkal.
After attending a programme at Anjuman Hami-E-Muslimeen, Khader proceeded to the Bhatkal Taluka Stadium, where the tournament is underway. He was accompanied by office-bearers of the Cosmos Sports Centre and several local community leaders.
Those present during the visit included President of Majlis-e-Islah Wa Tanzeem and former JD(S) leader Inayathullah Shabandri, Vice President of Tanzeem Atiqur Rahman Muniri, General Secretary Abdul Raqeeb MJ, President of Cosmos Sports Centre Ismail Anjum, Managing Director of Mohtisham Complexes S. M. Arshad, former president of the Bhatkal Muslim Youth Federation Imtiyaz Udyawar, among others.
Addressing players and organisers, Khader extended his best wishes to the participating teams and urged the players to uphold the spirit of sportsmanship. He said such tournaments help promote unity and brotherhood among the youth.
The cricket tournament began on November 21 and will conclude with the final match on December 21. It is being organised as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Cosmos Sports Centre.
Cosmos Sports Centre is one of the member clubs of the Bhatkal Muslim Youth Federation and is known for its active role in promoting sports in the town. Apart from sporting activities, the centre is also involved in various social and community initiatives, including efforts to promote education among students.
