Two more Bangladeshi nationals granted Indian Citizenship under CAA in Assam

In a significant development, two Bangladeshi nationals have once again been granted Indian citizenship in Assam under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019. Both beneficiaries are residents of the Barak Valley, taking the total number of Bangladeshi Hindu nationals granted citizenship under the CAA in the state to four so far.

The two individuals include a woman with the surname Banerjee from Badarpur in Sribhumi district and a 61-year-old man with the surname Goswami from Silchar town in Cachar district. According to legal sources, the woman’s case is particularly notable as she is the first person in Assam to receive Indian citizenship through marriage under the CAA via the registration process.

Advocate Dharmananda Deb, who assisted both applicants, said that the citizenship certificates were granted on Friday. He explained that the woman originally hails from Chattogram (Chittagong), Bangladesh. She entered India in 2007 when she came to Silchar Medical College for the treatment of a family member. During her stay, she came into contact with a doctor from Badarpur, whom she later married.

Following the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, she applied for Indian citizenship and was granted citizenship through marriage, marking a first-of-its-kind case in the state, the advocate said.

The second beneficiary is a 61-year-old Bangladeshi Hindu man who had entered India in 1975 from Moulvibazar district of Bangladesh along with his family. He later settled permanently in Silchar. After the CAA came into force, he applied for Indian citizenship and was also granted citizenship on Friday.

It is noteworthy that all four Bangladeshi Hindu nationals who have so far received Indian citizenship under the CAA in Assam are residents of the Barak Valley, highlighting the region’s central role in the implementation of the Act in the state.

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