Kumar Bahukhandi
Amid the violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, 50-year-old Dulon Das of Silchar, Assam has become the first Bangladeshi immigrant to get Indian citizenship with the help of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Assam. The Home Ministry of India has informed Dulon Das about getting citizenship on Tuesday August 13 .
He has been asked to go to the Regional Passport Office in Guwahati to get the certificate. According to Dulon Das’s lawyers, he applied for Indian citizenship on 1 April 2024 with the help of CAA.
Dulon was born in 1974 in Sylhet district of Bangladesh and his family took refuge in Assam in 1988, troubled by the attacks on minorities in the country. The lawyers told the media on Tuesday, “In 1986, Das’s father bought land in a village in Sylhet district of Bangladesh by spending 8000 Taka (Bangladesh currency) but soon after that there were many attacks on him and he left the country.” Dulon Das has also been voting as an Indian citizen in Assam since 1996 and his family members have Aadhar cards, bank accounts and all other documents. The lawyers said, “He did not apply for NRC. But he knew that he had come to Assam after 1971 and that is why Das applied for citizenship under CAA.”
So far, a total of 8 people from Assam have applied for citizenship under CAA and 2 of them have withdrawn their application. On Tuesday August 13 , lawyer Dharmendra Deb told local journalists that after the withdrawal of 2 applications, 6 applications under CAA are being reviewed by the Home Ministry and 4 more people are expected to get citizenship soon.
Decrease in number of applications
The central government had issued the rules of CAA just before the announcement of general elections in March this year. So far, very few applications have been received for it. BJP has claimed that the number of applications will increase after the central government starts granting citizenship to local applicants with the help of CAA.
