What is CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act)?
The CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) has become a Civil Amendment Act after it is passed in Parliament and the President’s stamp. With the help of Citizenship Amendment Act, people of Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Parsi, Jain and Buddhism who fled there due to religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and surrounding countries will be given citizenship of India.
People of Muslim religion have not been included in this act. After the Citizenship Amendment Bill became law, those people of Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Parsi, Jain and Buddhism from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and surrounding countries who entered India by the decisive date of 31 December 2014 . They will all be able to apply for citizenship of India.
The CAA also arranges that any legal action already taken against them for their displacement or illegal residence in the country will not affect their eligibility for permanent citizenship. Also, if the OCI card holders violate the conditions, the centre will get the right to cancel their card.
What is NRC?
The National Register of Citizens i.e. NRC. NRC shows who is an Indian citizen and who is not. A person who is not enrolled in the Citizenship Register is considered an illegal citizen. Assam is the only state in the country where the system of citizenship register is in effect. The main objective of implementing NRC is to identify illegal immigrants living in the state, especially Bangladeshi infiltrators. The entire process was under the supervision of the Supreme Court. For this process, a special provision was made in Assam by amending the Citizenship Act in 1986.
Under this the names of those people who are citizens of Assam or have lived in their ancestral state before 25 March 1971 have been included in the register. Let me tell you that after the partition of India-Pakistan in the year 1947 some people migrated from Assam to East Pakistan but their land was in Assam and the movement of people from both sides continued even after the partition.
After this, NRC data was updated for the first time in 1951. Even after this, infiltration into India was continued. After the formation of Bangladesh in the year 1971, in Assam, a large number of refugees continued to arrive and this changed the nature of the population of the state.
Problems arising from the termination of citizenship:
People have become stateless after the release of NRC list i.e. they have not been citizens of any country. In such a situation there is a possibility of violence in the state.
Those who have been living in Assam for decades after the expiry of Indian citizenship they will neither be able to vote as before nor will they get the benefit of any welfare scheme and they will not have any right over their own property. People who have their own property will be targeted by other people.
Why NRC was required?
When India-Pakistan was partitioned in 1947, some people migrated from Assam to East Pakistan but their land was in Assam and the movement of people from both sides continued even after the partition. Due to which the National Civil Register was prepared in the year 1951.
Even after the formation of Bangladesh in 1971 a large number of refugees continued in Assam due to which the shape of the state’s population began to change.
In the 80s, the All Assam Students Union-AASU started a movement to illegally identify and repatriate people living in Assam. The Assam treaty was signed in 1985 after six years of struggle by the AASU.
Assam Treaty:
On August 15, 1985, an agreement was signed between the AASU and other organizations and the Government of India which is known as the Assam treaty.
According to this agreement, Hindu-Muslims who entered Assam after March 25, 1971, were to be identified and removed from the state.
Under this agreement, citizens who came to Assam between 1961 and 1971 were given citizenship and other rights but they were not given the right to vote. Under this special package was also given for the economic development of Assam.
It was also decided that special laws and administrative measures will be taken to protect the cultural, social and linguistic identity of Assamese speaking people. The voter list was also amended based on the Assam treaty.
