Process of Granting Citizenship Under CAA Commences in West Bengal: Home Ministry (File Image)

Amidst the political protests, especially during the ongoing election campaigning, the process of granting citizenship certificates under the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, has begun in West Bengal. Today, the Empowered Committee in West Bengal granted citizenship to the first set of applicants from the state, the union home ministry said in a statement.

Similarly, in Haryana and Uttarakhand, the Empowered Committees have also granted citizenship to the first set of applicants in their respective states under the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024.

Calling it discriminatory and a trap, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has reiterated her opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act several times and claimed that the implementation of CAA would be followed by the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

“The CAA is a trap to turn legal citizens into foreigners. We would allow neither the CAA nor the NRC in West Bengal,” Mamata Banerjee had said while addressing a gathering at Krishnanagar in Nadia district on March 31 this year.

However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have used the CAA plot to attack Mamata Banerjee and her TMC government in state and said the implementation will take place at any cost. Recently, during two poll rallies in Jadavpur and Barasat, PM Modi emphasised the implementation of CAA in West Bengal, stating that TMC cannot impede it as it enjoys unwavering support from the people. He clarified that CAA is aimed at granting citizenship and not snatching it away from anyone, accusing TMC of spreading misinformation to scare their vote bank.

The first set of Citizenship Certificates, following the notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, were handed over to applicants in New Delhi by the Union Home Secretary on May 15, 2024.

The Government of India had notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, on March 11, 2024. These rules outline the application process, the procedure for processing applications by the District Level Committee (DLC), and the scrutiny and grant of citizenship by the State Level Empowered Committee (EC). All applications are processed entirely through the online portal.

In accordance with these rules, applications have been received from individuals belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who entered India up to December 31, 2014, due to persecution on religious grounds or fear of such persecution.