Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on Wednesday that out of approximately 1.2 lakh Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) applicants in the state, 19,000 have already been granted Indian citizenship certificates. The statement came after a cabinet meeting at Nabanna. He further added that individuals with pending CAA applications would also be considered eligible for the state's Annapurna Yojana scheme, a food security initiative.
CAA Implementation in Bengal
The CAA, which came into effect in Bengal from March 2024, provides a pathway to citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who entered India before the cut-off date of December 31, 2014. The state government is enforcing a 'detect, delete and deport' mechanism for undocumented migrants, making the Act critical for millions of so-called 'lower-caste' Hindu migrants, primarily Namashudras, who moved to India from Bangladesh following the 1971 Liberation War.
Handling of Non-CAA Migrants
Individuals not covered under the CAA are being treated as infiltrators. Detained persons have already been handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) for deportation. To manage the surge in applications, the central government has established two additional empowered committees in Bengal to expedite decision-making on pending cases. A significant number of applicants belong to the Matua community.
Case Study: Bagdah Constituency
In the Bagdah assembly constituency of Bongaon, North 24 Parganas, approximately 15,000 names were deleted from the electoral roll, the highest in the district. Around 13 Matua refugee families from Matuagarh have already received citizenship certificates after applying about seven months ago. The previous Trinamool Congress government had opposed the CAA. Critics of the current enforcement drive warn of humanitarian and legal risks, urging transparent procedures and safeguards for vulnerable populations.
