- Assam detected 1,72,673 foreigners, and 31,786 have been deported from the state so far
- CAA applies to migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who came to India on or before 2014
- Assam saw protests and casualties related to the CAA before and after it became law
A total of 70 migrants who entered India and are living in Assam have applied for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), and six of them have been granted citizenship so far, the state government said in assembly today in response to a question.
In yet another reply on the first day of the budget session, the Assam government said 1,72,673 foreigners have been detected in the state so far, while 31,786 have been deported.
The CAA, passed by parliament in 2019, came into effect in March 2024 after the Union government notified the rules.
The law applies to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who had entered India on or before December 31, 2014.
Assam witnessed massive protests against the CAA before and after it became law. Several people were killed during the agitation.
Earlier this week, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the number of doubtful voters among Bengali Hindus in Assam is less than one lakh and that none of them are lodged in detention centres.
He said the number will increase once the Registrar General of India (RGI) finalises the 2019 draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), as excluded Bengali Hindus will then have to apply for citizenship under the CAA.
Under the 1950 Act, 1,572 illegal migrants have been pushed back to Bangladesh since May 2 last year. Of them, 866 were from Sribhumi district, and 357 from Cachar. The government also said 68 illegal migrants caught by the Railway Police were among those pushed back.
