Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said that only three foreigners have so far been granted Indian citizenship in the state under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), out of a total of 12 applications received. Speaking to reporters at an official function, he stressed that the scale of applications is far smaller than what was once feared. “In Assam, only three people have got citizenship under the CAA so far. We have received only 12 applications, of which nine are still under consideration,” he stated, while declining to share the details of the applicants’ origin.
CM Sarma highlighted that the low number of applications makes the debate around CAA in Assam largely irrelevant, especially when compared to earlier apprehensions. “There was a hue-and-cry that 20-25 lakh people would get citizenship in Assam. Now, you yourself decide whether it is relevant to discuss the CAA when we received only 12 applications,” he remarked. His comments came amid continued opposition to the law, which was passed in 2019 and has faced protests in the state.
In August 2024, a 50-year-old man named Dulon Das became the first recipient of citizenship under the CAA in Assam. The law allows Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, to apply for Indian citizenship after completing five years of residence. Despite fears of large-scale demographic changes, official figures so far suggest only a limited number of people have sought relief under the Act in Assam.
