Guwahati: The Assam government has asked its border police unit not to forward cases of non-Muslim illegal immigrants entering the state before 2015 to the Foreigners Tribunal, and advised them to apply for citizenship under the CAA.
In a letter to the Special Director General of Police (Border), Home and Political Secretary Parth Pratim Majumdar referred to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, and said all those non-Muslim immigrants who entered India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan by 2014 are eligible to be granted Indian citizenship.
The letter, issued on July 5, asked the Assam Police’s border wing not to forward the cases of persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Parsi, Jain and Christian communities who entered India prior to December 31, 2014 directly to the Foreigners Tribunal (FT).
Majumdar stated that such persons should be advised to apply on the citizenship portal for consideration of their application by the Indian government.
“However, this facility will not be available to people who entered into Assam from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan after 31st December, 2014 irrespective of their religion. Once detected, they should be forwarded to the jurisdictional Foreigners Tribunal for further action,” he said.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the letter was issued as per norms.
“It was a statutory order. There is nothing objectionable in that and it was as per law,” he asserted.
Sarma also said anyone coming to Assam in 2015 or later will be deported back to their country of origin.
According to the Assam Accord, names of all foreigners coming to the state on or after March 25, 1971 would be detected and deleted from electoral rolls, and steps would be taken to deport them.
