Stanford University students, CAA

Shaheen Bagh Protest

Usuma Zakir. Photo: Dalip Kumar

Protestors participate in a demonstration against Citizenship (Amendment) Act and NRC at  Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi. Photo: PTI

Shaheen Bagh, CAA Protest, NRC

Protestors stand near a graffiti during a demonstration against Citizenship (Amendment) Act and NRC at Shaheen Bagh, in New Delhi. Photo: PTI

Protestors made an art in a demonstration against Citizenship (Amendment) Act and NRC at  Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi. Photo: PTI

Protestors make graffiti during a demonstration against Citizenship (Amendment) Act and NRC at Shaheen Bagh, in New Delhi. Photo: PTI

Women participate in a demonstration against Citizenship (Amendment) Act and NRC at Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi.

Manoj Tiwari, BJP, Politician, lawmaker, MP

Shaheen Bagh, NRC, Citizenship, CAA, protests, strike, women

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	The Shaheen Bagh protest is an ongoing demonstration, led mostly by women, against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). With the number of protestors reaching as high as 100,000, the Shaheen Bagh protest has become one of the longest peaceful protests of its magnitude in modern India. Carried out by women, the &lsquo;leaderless&rsquo; Shaheen Bagh sit-in is often referred to by the supporters of the protest as a site of modern-day Satyagraha.</div>
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	<strong>Where is Shaheen Bagh located?</strong></div>
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	Shaheen Bagh is situated along the banks of the Yamuna and is the southernmost colony of Okhla in New Delhi. The area connects places like Noida, Nehru Place, Okhla, Jasola and Jamia Nagar.</div>
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	<img src="https://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/img/misc/2020-02/06/full/shaheen-bagh-on-delhi-map-1580997264-9311850.jpg" width="100%" /></div>
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	<strong>Shaheen Bagh protests</strong></div>
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	Protests at Shaheen Bagh began from December 15, 2019, three days after the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in both Houses of Parliament and the police intervention that followed against students at Jamia Millia Islamia. It has become the longest ongoing protest against CAA, NRC and National Population Register (NPR).</div>
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	<strong>What is CAA?</strong></div>
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	On December 12, 2019, the Citizenship amendment Bill (CAB) became the CAA after being passed by Parliament. It provides for the grant of Indian citizenship to those Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who migrated from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan on or before December 31, 2014. The Act has drawn opposition across the country as it omits Muslims in the list of communities considered for the grant of citizenship.</div>
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	Who are participating in the Shaheen Bagh protest?</div>
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	The Shaheen Bagh protest, which began with only 10-20 women, later attracted thousands others. It has since become a 24x7 protest at the site by students, professionals, activists, Muslim women, children, lawyers and several other people from all walks of life. Elderly women aged over 80 and 90 years have also joined the protest.</div>
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	<strong>How are people protesting at Shaheen Bagh?</strong></div>
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	Shaheen Bagh, once a little unknown locality, has witnessed an explosion of art, including posters, photos, paintings and graffiti, with ideas from students, local residents and artists. A tent has been set up to house the women protesters and their children. A bus stop has been converted into a library so that people could read books to understand the Indian Constitution, racism, fascism, revolution, oppression and various other social issues.</div>
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	A mini replica of India Gate has been installed with names of those killed during the anti-CAA protests across India. A 40-foot iron-welded structure in the shape of India&rsquo;s map has also erected by protesters, with &quot;We the people of India reject CAA-NPR-NRC&quot; written on it.</div>
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	Every day, there are speeches, lectures and poetry. Inter-faith prayers are held and scriptures from the Bhagavad Gita, Bible and Quran have been read at the site previously. Sikh volunteers have also served langars to protestors. On January 26, 2020, the protesters celebrated the Republic Day by unfurling the tricolour at Shaheen Bagh.</div>
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	The sit-in protest has received worldwide attention and been covered extensively by the press, both national and international.</div>
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	<strong>The controversy around the Shaheen Bagh protest</strong></div>
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	In the campaign for the Delhi Assembly election, the opposition of CAA, especially at the Shaheen Bagh protest, has been a much-talked-about issue, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) using it to attack one another. While campaigners of the BJP, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, have referred to the Shaheen Bagh protest as a law-and-order issue backed by the ruling AAP and tried to label the protestors as anti-nationals, the AAP has desisted from taking sides. While Shah has repeatedly tried to link the protest with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his AAP, Kejriwal has maintained that Shah himself is responsible for law and order in the national capital. Since Delhi is a Union Territory, its police and intelligence machinery come under the purview of the Union home ministry.</div>
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	Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has in his public speeches claimed that Shaheen Bagh is &ldquo;offering a platform for the anti-India gangs&rdquo;. Among other leaders of the BJP who have faced the Election Commission action for making inflammatory speeches involving Shaheen Bagh and other anti-CAA protests are West Delhi Member of Parliament Parvesh Verma and Union Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said in an election rally that the ongoing anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh and other localities were a &#39;political experiment&#39; and not a coincidence.</div>
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	Previously, the BJP IT Cell head, Amit Malviya, had claimed that the women at Shaheen Bagh were paid Rs 500 to Rs 1,200 a day, along with the promise of refreshments, by the Congress party to stage protests at the venue. Some other politicians have also tried to paint the protestors as anti-national, pro-Pakistani, and supporters of Muhammad Ali Jinnah.</div>
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	<strong>Blocking of road</strong></div>
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	Protestors at Shaheen Bagh have blocked the road connecting Noida to Kalindi Kunj, causing inconvenience to travellers and students. Some people have been demanding the opening of the road and removal of barricades from the roads.</div>
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	<strong>Violence at Shaheen Bagh</strong></div>
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	On February 1, 2020, a man claiming to be a Hindu fundamentalist entered the barricaded area at Shaheen Bagh and opened fire near the stage where people were protesting. However, there was no casualty and the miscreant was taken into custody.</div>
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Learn what is Shaheen Bagh Protest, what are people protesting against, shaheen bagh location, news and more here at Business Standard.

What is Shaheen Bagh Protest, Anti-CAA Protests, Location, News

What is Shaheen Bagh Protest

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	The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a register containing names of all genuine Indian citizens. At present, only Assam has such a register.&nbsp;</div>
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	The exercise may be extended to other states as well. Nagaland is already creating a similar database known as the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants. The Centre is planning to create a National Population Register (NPR), which will contain demographic and biometric details of citizens.</div>
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	<strong>What is NRC in Assam?</strong></div>
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	The NRC in Assam is basically a list of Indian citizens living in the state. The citizens&rsquo; register sets out to identify foreign nationals in the state that borders Bangladesh.</div>
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	The process to update the register began following a Supreme Court order in 2013, with the state&rsquo;s nearly 33 million people having to prove that they were Indian nationals prior to March 24, 1971.<br />
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	The updated final NRC was released on August 31, with over 1.9 million applicants failing to make it to the list.<br />
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	<strong>How does one prove citizenship?</strong></div>
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	In Assam, one of the basic criteria was that the names of applicant&#39;s family members should either be in the first NRC prepared in 1951 or in the electoral rolls up to March 24, 1971.&nbsp;</div>
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	Other than that, applicants also had the option to present documents such as refugee registration certificate, birth certificate, LIC policy, land and tenancy records, citizenship certificate,&nbsp; passport,&nbsp; government issued licence or certificate, bank/post office accounts, permanent residential certificate, government employment certificate, educational certificate and court records.</div>
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	<strong>What happens with the excluded individuals</strong></div>
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	&quot;Non-inclusion of a person&#39;s name in the NRC does not by itself amount to him/her being declared a foreigner,&quot; govt has said. Such individuals will have the option to present their case before foreigners&#39; tribunals.&nbsp;</div>
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	If one loses the case in the tribunal, the person can move the high court and, then, the Supreme Court.&nbsp;</div>
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	In the case of Assam, the state government has clarified it will not detain any individual until he/she is declared a foreigner by the foreigners&#39; tribunal.<br />
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		<strong>What can people do if they cannot find legacy data</strong></div>
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		The government has set up NRC Seva Kendras in every district of Assam, which assist people in searching for Legacy Data, issuing of Legacy Data Code, and in receipt of NRC Application forms.</div>
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	<strong>The 1951 NRC in Assam</strong></div>
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	NRC for Indian citizens in Assam was first created in 1951. Manipur and Tripura were also granted permission to create their own NRCs, but it never materialised. The reason behind the move was to identify Indian citizens in Assam amid &quot;unabated&quot; migration from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).&nbsp;</div>
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	The list comprised of those who lived in India on January 26, 1950, or were born in India or had parents who were born in India or had been living in India for at least five years before the January 26, 1950 cut-off.&nbsp;</div>

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a register containing names of all genuine Indian citizens. Learn what is NRC in Assam and other related news here at Business Standard.

What is NRC, NRC in Assam, NRC Documents, NRC Assam News,

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		The Rajya Sabha on December 11, 2019 passed the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act with as many as 125 MPs voting in favour of it and 99 against it. On December 9, 2019, the CAB Bill was tabled and passed in the Lok Sabha&#39;s Winter Session. President Ram Nath Kovind signed it on December 12.</div>
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		<strong>What is Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019</strong></div>
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		The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 seeks to fast-track citizenship for persecuted minority groups in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The six minority groups that have been specifically identified are Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians and Parsis. The Bill aims to change the definition of illegal migrants. However, the Act doesn&rsquo;t have a provision for Muslim sects like Shias and Ahmedis who also face persecution in Pakistan.</div>
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		The beneficiaries of Citizenship Amendment Bill can reside in any state of the country and the burden of those persecuted migrants will be shared by the whole country.</div>
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		Presently, the Constitution of India provides for citizenship by naturalisation &ndash; for people who have lived in India for the past 12 months and for 11 of the past 14 years. It also provides for people whose parents or grandparents were born in India to become Indian citizens.</div>
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		<strong>Who are illegal immigrants from India perspective?</strong></div>
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		As per the Citizenship Act, 1955, an illegal immigrant is one who enters India with fake or forged documents and/or does not have a valid passport. A person who stays beyond the visa permit is also referred to as an illegal immigrant.</div>
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		<strong>When did the issue of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill come up?</strong></div>
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		Prior to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was seeking to topple the Congress-led UPA government, promised to grant citizenship to Hindus persecuted in the neighbouring countries. In the party&#39;s election manifesto, the BJP promised to give shelter to the Hindus and welcome the refugees.</div>
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		<strong>Which parties are against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and why?</strong></div>
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		BJP&#39;s coalition partner Assam Gana Parishad has threatened to cut ties with the party if the Bill is passed. NGOs like Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and students&#39; organisation All Assam Students&rsquo; Union also have come forward in opposing the Bill. All Opposition parties, including the Congress and All India United Democratic Front, have opposed the idea of granting citizenship to an individual on the basis of religion. It is also argued that the Bill if made into an Act, will nullify the updated National Registration of Citizenship (NRC).</div>
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		Parties and activists opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 are of the view that it works against the cultural and linguistic identity of the indigenous people. Mizoram and other northeastern states, which have a diverse indigenous community, have urged the government not to table the new citizenship bill, saying it will open a &quot;floodgate&rdquo; of illegal immigrants in the state.</div>
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		In January 2019, days after Union home minister Amit Shah announced that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill would be brought in parliament again, protests were held in Manipur, Nagaland and Meghalaya. The Nagaland and North East Forum of Indigenous People (NEFIP) claimed that it would seek the United Nations&rsquo; intervention if the Centre implements the Bill.</div>
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		<strong>Northeast protest against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019</strong></div>
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		The Bill has divided India into protests and jubilations. While Hindu refugee communities across India are celebrating the government&#39;s move, a majority of Northeast remains on edge. Guwahati was the epicentre of anti-CAB protests. People in the north-eastern states fear that the Bill would change the demography of the states if it is passed as people of different cultures and languages will get citizenship of the country. Currently, the northeast is witnessing protests against Bangladeshi immigrants.</div>
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		<strong>Exemptions under Citizenship Bill 2019</strong></div>
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		The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill exempts certain areas in the North-East from this provision. It would not apply to tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura. This effectively means that Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram along with almost whole of Meghalaya and parts of Assam and Tripura would stay out of the purview of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.</div>
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		<strong>Amendments for OCI cardholders</strong></div>
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		According to the Citizenship Bill, a foreigner may register as an Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) if they are of Indian origin or their spouse is of Indian origin. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill entitles the OCI cardholders to benefits such as the right to travel to India, and to work and study in the country.</div>
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		<strong>What is the current status of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019?</strong></div>
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		The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was referred to a joint select committee in 2016, after being discussed extensively in the Lok Sabha. Members of the parliamentary committee visited several parts of the northeastern states and discussed the Bill with various organisation. On January 8, 2019 the Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha. However, before it could be tabled in the Rajya Sabha, the Bill lapsed on June 3, 2019, as the tenure of the Lok Sabha ended.&nbsp;</div>
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		The Rajya Sabha on December 11, 2019 passed the Bill. However, the Opposition, which terms it &#39;unconstitutional&#39;, is likely to knock the Supreme Court of India&#39;s door to protest against the Bill. Meanwhile, protests in the north east, particularly in Assam continue.&nbsp;</div>
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<strong>Full text of the <u><a href="https://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/data/general-file-upload/2020-01/CAA.pdf" target="_blank">Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019</a></u></strong><br />
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<em>[Gazette notification dated December 12, 2019]</em><br />
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An Act further to amend the <a href="https://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/data/general-file-upload/2020-01/citizenship act, 1955.pdf" target="_blank"><u><strong>Citizenship Act, 1955</strong></u>.</a><br />
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BE it enacted by Parliament in the Seventieth Year of the Republic of India as follows:<br />
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1. (1) This Act may be called the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.<br />
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(2) It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.<br />
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2. In the Citizenship Act, 1955 (hereinafter referred to as the principal Act), in section 2, in sub-section (1), in clause (b), the following proviso shall be inserted, namely:<br />
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	&quot;Provided that any person belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian community from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan, who entered into India on or before the 31st day of December, 2014 and who has been exempted by the Central Government by or under clause (c) of sub-section (2) of section 3 of the <a href="https://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/data/general-file-upload/2020-01/Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920.pdf" target="_blank"><u><strong>Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920</strong></u></a> or from the application of the provisions of the <a href="https://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/data/general-file-upload/2020-01/foreigners_act_1946.pdf" target="_blank"><u><strong>Foreigners Act, 1946</strong></u></a> or any rule or order made thereunder, shall not be treated as illegal migrant for the purposes of this Act;&quot;.</div>
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3. After section 6A of the principal Act, the following section shall be inserted, namely:<br />
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	&#39;6B. (1) The Central Government or an authority specified by it in this behalf may, subject to such conditions, restrictions and manner as may be prescribed, on an application made in this behalf, grant a certificate of registration or certificate of naturalisation to a person referred to in the proviso to clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 2.<br />
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	(2) Subject to fulfilment of the conditions specified in section 5 or the qualifications for naturalisation under the provisions of the Third Schedule, a person granted the certificate of registration or certificate of naturalisation under sub-section (1) shall be deemed to be a citizen of India from the date of his entry into India.<br />
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	(3) On and from the date of commencement of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, any proceeding pending against a person under this section in respect of illegal migration or citizenship shall stand abated on conferment of citizenship to him:<br />
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	Provided that such person shall not be disqualified for making application for citizenship under this section on the ground that the proceeding is pending against him and the Central Government or authority specified by it in this behalf shall not reject his application on that ground if he is otherwise found qualified for grant of citizenship under this section:<br />
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	Provided further that the person who makes the application for citizenship under this section shall not be deprived of his rights and privileges to which he was entitled on the date of receipt of his application on the ground of making such application.<br />
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	(4) Nothing in this section shall apply to tribal area of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram or Tripura as included in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution and the area covered under &quot;The Inner Line&quot; notified under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.&#39;.</div>
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4. In section 7D of the principal Act,&mdash;<br />
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(i) after clause (d), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:<br />
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	&quot;(da) the Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder has violated any of the provisions of this Act or provisions of any other law for time being in force as may be specified by the Central Government in the notification published in the Official Gazette; or&quot;;</div>
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(ii) after clause (f), the following proviso shall be inserted, namely:<br />
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	&quot;Provided that no order under this section shall be passed unless the Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder has been given a reasonable opportunity of being heard.&quot;.</div>
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5. In section 18 of the principal Act, in sub-section (2), after clause (ee), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:<br />
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	&quot;(eei) the conditions, restrictions and manner for granting certificate of registration or certificate of naturalisation under sub-section (1) of section 6B;&quot;.</div>
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6. In the Third Schedule to the principal Act, in clause (d), the following proviso shall be inserted, namely:<br />
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	&#39;Provided that for the person belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan, the aggregate period of residence or service of Government in India as required under this clause shall be read as &quot;not less than five years&quot; in place of &quot;not less than eleven years&quot;.&#39;.</div>
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