Dulon Das, a 50-year-old resident of Silchar, Assam, has made history as the first person in the northeastern state to receive Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Das, whose family migrated from Sylhet in Bangladesh to Silchar in 1988, received notification of his citizenship from the Union home ministry on Tuesday. He has been instructed to visit the Regional Passport Office in Guwahati to collect his Citizenship certificate.
Das applied for Indian Citizenship in April, following the notification of the CAA rules, which came into effect over four years after the law was initially passed. His application process was prompted by his family’s challenging history and their inability to apply for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) due to difficulties in documenting their family lineage. Despite these challenges, Das has been an active voter in Assam since 1996 and his family possesses Aadhaar cards.
The CAA, enacted in 2019, aims to expedite citizenship for non-Muslims from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh who entered India before December 31, 2014. Das’s application involved police verification and the submission of various documents, including land ownership records from Sylhet.
According to Dharmananda Deb, a former Foreigners Tribunal member and Das’s lawyer, eight individuals across Assam have applied for Indian Citizenship under the CAA. So far, two applications have been withdrawn, while six remain under review by the Union home ministry. Four of these applications are reportedly progressing towards approval.
The CAA, which was a key promise in the BJP’s election campaigns, was formally implemented with the notification of its rules in March. However, a lack of awareness has been identified as a factor in the limited number of applications received so far.
