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Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma says Hindu Bengalis did not apply under CAA as they are confident of citizenship. Opposition cites Assam Accord concerns.
Guwahati, September 10: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that Hindu Bengalis in Assam have not sought Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), asserting that they are already certain of their identity as citizens.
Speaking to reporters in Guwahati, Sarma said, “There is no reason to suspect Hindu Bengalis as foreigners, as they have come before 1971. The CAA has no relevance in Assam.”
According to the Chief Minister, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi facilitated the settlement of Hindu Bengalis in 1971 and never suggested they would be sent back. “The Hindu Bengalis are confident that they are Indians. So they did not apply under CAA. There have been only 12 applications so far, and only three persons have been granted citizenship,” Sarma added.
Few Applications Despite Anti-CAA Protests in Assam
The CM also pointed out that while five people lost their lives during the anti-CAA protests in Assam, the number of applications under the Act has remained negligible. He added that no new applications have been filed since the Immigration and Foreigners’ (Exemption) Order, 2025 came into effect earlier this year.
This order allows minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians — who entered India before December 31, 2024, citing religious persecution, to stay in the country without valid travel documents.
Meanwhile, the CAA in Assam, which became operational last year, grants Indian citizenship to those who arrived on or before December 31, 2014.
Opposition and AASU Criticise CAA, Cite Assam Accord
Sarma dismissed concerns about the law’s impact in Assam, saying: “If there are lakhs of applications, we will then consider the matter and take necessary steps, but as of now, this is not relevant in the state.”
However, opposition parties and the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) have strongly criticised the Centre, claiming that the Citizenship Amendment Act undermines the Assam Accord of 1985, which fixed March 25, 1971, as the cut-off date for identifying and deporting illegal migrants.
They argue that by extending the cut-off to 2014 under CAA and further to 2024 under the exemption order, the government is attempting to regularise Hindu Bengali migrants from Bangladesh.
The Assam Accord, signed on August 15, 1985, had ended the six-year-long anti-foreigner agitation in the state, which claimed thousands of lives.