Govt issues clarification on documents needed for citizenship under CAA
New Delhi (PTI): The Centre has expanded the ambit of the rules issued under the citizenship law CAA through which Indian nationality will be given to persecuted minorities coming from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan.
The Union home ministry announced that "any document" issued by the central or state governments or quasi-judicial body in India proving that either of the parents, grandparents or great-grandparents is or had been a citizen of one of the three countries will be acceptable.
The clarification of the home ministry came after many applicants seeking Indian nationality under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 were reported to be facing difficulties due to a particular clause of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024.
"Any document that shows that either of the parents or grandparents or great grandparents of the applicant is or had been a citizen of one of the three countries i.e of Afghanistan or Bangladesh or Pakistan," the earlier clause of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 says.
In its latest clarification, the home ministry said: "It may be clarified that the documents under Sr No. 8 of the Schedule -1A may include any document issued by the central government/state government/ any judicial or quasi judicial body in India such as land record, judicial order etc., identifying or representing that the applicant or the parents or grandparents or great grandparents had been a national of Afghanistan or Bangladesh or Pakistan."
"The above clarification may be taken note of while deciding any citizenship application under Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), it said.
The CAA was enacted in December 2019 for granting Indian nationality to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.
After the enactment, the CAA got the president's assent but the rules under which Indian citizenship would be granted were issued only on March 11 this year, after over a delay of four years.
Since May, the government has been granting citizenship to those coming from the three countries under the CAA.
The nod to the CAA in 2019 sparked protests in different parts of the country with agitators terming it "discriminatory".
Over a hundred people lost their lives during the anti-CAA protests or police action in various parts of the country.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Danish national detained for illegally entering restricted area along Indo-Pak border in Bikaner
Jaipur (PTI): A 40-year-old Danish national was detained near the India-Pakistan international border in Rajasthan's Bikaner district for allegedly entering a restricted area without permission, police said on Sunday.
The man, identified as Rene, has been sent to the Joint Interrogation Centre in Bikaner for detailed questioning, and his passport details were being verified, they said.
He was found in suspicious circumstances on Hospital Road in Khajuwala area, close to the international border. Locals alerted the police as foreign nationals are rarely seen in the area, officials said.
A police team led by ASI Kishan Singh reached the spot and, considering the sensitivity of the area, informed the Border Security Force (BSF) and other security agencies. The agencies jointly questioned the man. No suspicious items were recovered from his possession, the police said.
During preliminary questioning, the man identified himself as a resident of Denmark and said he had arrived in India around seven months ago on a one-year tourist visa.
Officials said he initially responded in English but later stopped answering questions and reportedly broke down at the police station.
Superintendent of Police Mridul Kachawa said the foreign national was detained near the international border as he did not have the required permit to visit the restricted area.
"He has been sent to the Joint Interrogation Centre in Bikaner for detailed questioning. His passport details are being verified and efforts are being made to contact the embassy concerned. Further facts will emerge after interrogation," the officer said.
The police said Khajuwala is a sensitive border area where prior permission is mandatory for foreign nationals. Initial assessment suggests the man may have entered the area due to lack of awareness about restrictions, though all angles are being probed.
Further investigation is underway, the officials added.
