Page 2 - Citizenship

People misled over CAA, nobody's citizenship to be snatched: Rajnath

Union Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said people are being misled over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, asserting that the legislation would not take away the citizenship of anyone living in India. Addressing a rally in Assam's Barpeta, he said the CAA will grant citizenship to religiously persecuted people who came to India till 2014 from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Singh was campaigning for BJP ally Asom Gana Parishad's candidate Phani Bhusan Choudhury, who is contesting the Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency, currently being represented by Congress MP Abdul Khaleque. "The people are being misled over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act... I assure you that this Act will not take away the citizenship of any people. It would only grant citizenship," the defence minister said. The Centre on Monday implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, notifying the rules four years after the law was passed by Parliament to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migran

MHA to launch helpline number to assist applicants seeking info on CAA

The helpline number will be toll-free and applicants can call from anywhere in India to obtain information related to CAA-2019

Indian Muslims need not worry, CAA has nothing to do with them: Govt

Indian Muslims need not worry as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act will not impact their citizenship and has nothing to do with the community which enjoys equal rights as their Hindu counterparts, the Home Ministry asserted on Tuesday. The ministry sought to allay fears of a section of Muslims and students regarding the CAA, making it clear that "no Indian citizen would be asked to produce any document to prove his citizenship after this Act." The Centre on Monday notified the ruled for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014. In its statement, the Home Ministry said, "Due to the persecution of minorities in those three Muslim countries, the name of Islam was badly tarnished all around the world. However, Islam, being a peaceful religion, never preaches or suggests hatred/violence/any persecution on religious ground." This Act "protects Islam fro

CAA linked to NRC, won't allow detention camps in West Bengal: CM Mamata

"The CAA is related to NRC, that is why we are opposing it. We don't want detention camps like those in Assam," she told reporters here

Stop demolition activities against Pak Hindu refugees: Delhi HC to DDA

The DDA was ordered to remove encroachments by the NGT from the Yamuna flood area

FAQs on CAA: What the govt says about application, eligibility, & more

The CAA application, made completely online requires country of origin, proof of religion, date of entry into India, and language proficiency. Here what the government's release on the CAA rules say

PM Modi's decision right, says Smriti Irani defending CAA amid criticism

CM Banerjee said that CAA was linked to NRC and those who apply for CAA will immediately be considered illegal migrants, although they are citizens of the country

Most tribal areas in northeastern states kept out of purview of CAA rules

Most tribal areas in northeastern states, including those granted special status under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution, have been kept out of the purview of The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which came into effect on Monday. According to the law, it is also not going to be implemented in those northeastern states where Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime is in existence. The ILP is in force in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur whereby anyone from other parts of the country seeking to visit these states needs special permission from the state government. The tribal areas, where autonomous councils were created under the 6th Schedule, were also exempted from the purview of the CAA, officials said quoting from the law that was passed in 2019. Such autonomous councils are in existence in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura. These include Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao and Bodoland Territorial Council areas in Assam, Garo Hills in Meghalaya and tribal areas in Tripura.

Refugees applying for CAA can attach 9 documents to prove country of origin

Applicants for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 (CAA) can submit any of nine documents, including valid or expired passport, ID cards and land tenancy records, to prove he or she is a national of Afghanistan or Bangladesh or Pakistan. The applicants can also submit any of 20 documents like copy of visa and immigration stamp on arrival in India, certificate issued by an elected member of any rural or urban body or a revenue officer to prove that he or she has entered India on or before December 31, 2014, according to the rules of the CAA issued on Monday. The rules also state that the applicants will have to provide an eligibility certificate issued by a locally reputed community institution confirming that he or she belongs to either Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian community and continues to be a member of that community. The government on Monday implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, notifying the rules to fast-track ...

Highlights: IUML files plea in Supreme Court against CAA implementation

Highlights on developments related to CAA: Catch all the news updates on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019

Citizenship Amendment Act 2019: A timeline of events, controversies

Since the CAA was passed, the Act has been mired with severe criticisms and protests from around the country. Here's a look at the history of the controversial Citizenship Act

JNU issues advisory, appeals to students to maintain peace on campus

Jawaharlal Nehru University has issued an advisory for its students, asking them to remain vigilant and maintain peace and harmony on the campus in view of the ongoing students' election process. The advisory came hours after the Centre implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 on Monday, notifying the rules four years after the contentious law was passed. The CAA bill was passed in Parliament on December 11, 2019, leading to protests across the country. Protests erupted in the national capital's university campuses, including Jamia Millia Islamia, which had become the epicentre of the protests and saw police action against the agitating students. The advisory released by JNU late on Monday evening stated, "In view of the ongoing students' election process on campus and various events being organised by the student bodies, all stakeholders of the campus are appealed to remain vigilant and contribute to maintaining peace and harmony on campus." "The administration firmly ...

CAA copies burnt, strike announced in Assam as govt notifies rules

The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and 30 indigenous organisations on Monday burnt copies of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in different parts of the state, including Guwahati, Barpeta, Lakhimpur, Nalbari, Dibrugarh and Tezpur. The 16-party United Opposition Forum, Assam, (UOFA) announced a statewide hartal on Tuesday, besides taking up other agitational programmes in a phased manner. "We will continue with our non-violent, peaceful, democratic movement against CAA. Alongside, we will also continue our legal fight", AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharjya told PTI. Bhattacharjya asserted that the indigenous people of Assam and North East will never accept CAA. "On Tuesday, copies of the CAA will be burnt by the North East Student Organisation (NESO) in all state capitals of the region. AASU and 30 organisations will also take out torchlight processions in Assam, and launch a satyagraha from the next day," he said. In Dibrugarh, AASU members were engaged in a scuff

CAA rules require continuous stay of one year in India before applying

Those seeking Indian nationality under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 will become eligible to apply after spending at least 12 months in the country preceding the date of the application, according to the rules notified on Monday. Also, during the eight years immediately preceding the 12 months, the applicants will have to spend not less than six years in the country to be eligible to get the India citizenship, the rules said. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 paves the way for granting Indian nationality to undocumented non-Muslim migrants -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014. The applicants will also have to give a declaration that they "irrevocably" renounce the existing citizenship and that they want to make make "India as permanent home", according to the rules. "Every application made by the applicant under sub-rule (1) shall have a declaration to the effec

Protests erupt in Jamia Millia Islamia campus over implementation of CAA

Protests erupted on the Jamia Millia Islamia campus here on Monday hours after the Centre notified the rules of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), leading to heavy police deployment at the university. A group of students led by the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) raised slogans against the Modi government and the Delhi Police. The Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI) also opposed the implementation of the Act. A senior police officer said the security around the Jamia campus has been beefed up to prevent any further gathering outside the campus. Speaking to PTI, Jamia Acting Vice-Chancellor Eqbal Hussain said, "We have tightened security arrangements to avoid any kind of agitation on the campus. No protest against the CAA will be allowed by students or outsiders near the campus." A video surfaced that shows a group of students holding posters and banners gathered on the Jamia campus raising slogans against the CAA and the NRC (National Register of ...

CAA notification against country, people will respond in polls: Kejriwal

The Narendra Modi-led government's move to notify the Citizenship (Amendment) Act is against the country, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged on Monday and claimed people will respond to it in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In a long post in Hindi on X, Kejriwal also alleged that implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, is "dirty politics" of the BJP to make poor people from neighbouring countries its vote bank in India. The Centre on Monday announced implementation of CAA, paving the way for granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The rules were notified days ahead of the expected announcement of the Lok Sabha elections. With this, the Narendra Modi government will now start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- from the three countries. Kejriwal said on X, "After ruling the country for 10 years, the Modi

Security tightened in parts of Delhi after govt notifies CAA rules

Security has been beefed up in northeast Delhi, Shaheen Bagh, Jamia and other sensitive areas across the national capital following the notification of Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) on Monday, officials said. Police personnel and paramilitary forces have also been deployed in some parts, with flag march being conducted in parts of northeast and southeast Delhi, they said. Delhi witnessed communal riots in 2020 over the CAA and NRC (National Register of Citizens). "Safety of every single common man of Delhi's northeast district is our responsibility," DCP northeast Joy Tirkey told PTI. He further said that intensive patrolling and checking is being carried out by northeast district police personnel and paramilitary forces for the safety of citizens in sensitive areas. Everyone is requested to follow the safety instructions, the officer said. "We have intensified night vigil along with paramilitary forces. No one will be allowed to breach the law and order situation. We to

CAA will be implemented before Lok Sabha polls: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed confidence on Tuesday that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would be implemented before the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. Speaking to PTI, the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister emphasised that the CAA aimed at granting citizenship rather than revoking it, contrary to claims by some opposition parties. "I am confident that CAA will be implemented before the Lok Sabha polls. This act is very much needed. It has been clarified time and again that this law is not against anyone but about giving citizenship to those brothers and sisters of the neighbouring countries who fled the countries for religious persecution", Chouhan said. His assertion comes amidst earlier reports this month suggesting that the rules for the legislation would be notified "much before" the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections. Enacted by the BJP-led government in 2019, the CAA aims to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants, includin

CAA will be implemented before 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Here's what you must know

Russia speeds up citizenship path for foreigners who enlist in military

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a decree that speeds up a path to Russian citizenship for foreigners who enlist in the country's military amid the 22-month-old war in Ukraine. The move comes as Moscow is trying to replenish its troops in Ukraine by various methods, including the recruitment of migrants. Russia is a magnet for hundreds of thousands of people from poorer Central Asian countries, and many of them seek citizenship each year. Putin first allowed fast-track citizenship for foreigners who sign contracts with the Russian army in September 2022, shortly after announcing a partial mobilization to draft 300,000 reservists for Ukraine. Those immigrants who signed a contract for at least a year and take part in active hostilities for at least six months were allowed to apply for citizenship without demonstrating sufficient knowledge of Russian or the fact that they'd lived in the country for five straight years under a residency permit. Spouses and children were also