Kolkata: Of the 1.2 lakh Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) applicants in Bengal, 19,000 have already been granted Indian citizenship certificates, CM Suvendu Adhikari said on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting at Nabanna. He added that those with pending CAA applications would also be considered eligible for the state’s Annapurna Yojana scheme.The CAA, which came into effect in Bengal from March 2024, grants a pathway to citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who entered India before the cut-off date of Dec 31, 2014.As the state govt enforces a “detect, delete and deport” mechanism for undocumented migrants, the Act has become critical for millions of so-called “lower-caste” Hindu migrants — primarily Namashudras — who moved to India from Bangladesh following the 1971 Liberation War.Those outside the CAA’s purview are being treated as infiltrators, with detained individuals already being handed over to the BSF to be sent back.To handle the surge in CAA applications, the Centre has set up two additional empowered committees in Bengal to expedite decision-making on pending cases. A significant share of applicants are from the Matua community.In Bagdah assembly constituency of Bongaon in North 24 Parganas alone — where around 15,000 names were deleted from the electoral roll, the highest in the district — approximately 13 Matua refugee families from Matuagarh have already received citizenship certificates after applying around seven months ago.The previous Trinamool govt had opposed the CAA. Critics of the current enforcement drive warn of humanitarian and legal risks, urging transparent procedures and safeguards for vulnerable populations.
