Guwahati, Mar 15 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said not even a single application for obtaining Indian citizenship under the CAA was received from the state yet.
Speaking at the sidelines of a programme in Hojai, Sarma said people who led protests against the Act will be held accountable for the lives lost during the anti-CAA movement in the state in 2019.
He said not a single person from Assam has applied under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), contrasting it with cases in Gujarat where people have obtained citizenship through the online process.
“Just enquire at the portal to find out how many have applied. Not a single application has been made from Assam yet. In Gujarat, people have got Indian citizenship (through the online process under CAA),” Sarma said.
Applicants are required to submit their requests through an online portal for citizenship under the provisions of the CAA.
Referring to the deaths during the anti-CAA movement, Sarma asserted that those responsible for it would need to answer for their actions.
“Many people will now have to answer for the lives of these five persons,” he added.
Meanwhile, various organisations including the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and 30 other indigenous, non-political groups staged protests across the state against the contentious law.
They conducted a satyagraha at the district headquarters, continuing their peaceful demonstrations against the CAA.
AASU leaders reaffirmed their commitment to democratic protests against the CAA and said legal battles in the Supreme Court would continue in an effort to repeal the Act.
Opponents of the CAA have been protesting since its implementation on Monday, raising concerns that it violates the provisions of the 1985 Assam Accord. The Accord stipulates that foreigners entering Assam illegally after March 25, 1971, should be identified, removed from electoral rolls, and deported.
The CAA aims to grant Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan after residing in the country for five years. PTI SSG MNB
