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CITIZENSHIP

Myth & Reality

1) Myth: Citizenship Amendment Act will provide whole country. Persons facing religious persecution
citizenship to Bengali Hindus are not settled only in Assam. They are staying in other
Fact: Citizenship Amendment Act does not automati- parts of the country as well.
cally confer Indian citizenship to Bengali Hindus. It is 6) Myth: Citizenship Amendment Act will trigger fresh
just an enabling legislation for persons belonging to six migration of Hindus from Bangladesh.
minority communities of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Fact: Most of the minorities have already migrated
Bangladesh. It has been proposed on extremely from Bangladesh. Moreover, the scale of atrocities on
humanitarian grounds as these minorities had fled them in Bangladesh has been coming down in recent
from these three countries due to persecution on years. In the changed scenario, large-scale migration
grounds of their religion. on account of religious persecution is now a remote
2) Myth: Citizenship Amendment Act dilutes possibility. Further, there is a cut-off date of December
‘Assam Accord’ 31, 2014 and benefits under Citizenship Amendment
Fact: Citizenship Amendment Act does not dilute the Bill will not be available for members of the religious
sanctity of the Assam Accord as far as the cut-off date of minorities who migrate to India after the cut-off date.
March 24, 1971, stipulated for detection/deportation of 7) Myth: Citizenship Amendment Act is a ploy to grab
illegal immigrants is concerned. tribal land by accommodating Hindu Bengalis.
3) Myth: Citizenship Amendment Act is against the Fact: Hindu Bengalis are mostly settled in Barak Valley,
interest of indigenous people of Assam. away from tribal belts and blocks. Further, Citizenship
Fact: Citizenship Amendment Act is not Assam-cen- Amendment Bill does not contradict laws and regula-
tric. It is applicable to the whole country. Citizenship tions for protection of tribal lands. Citizenship Amend-
Amendment Act is definitely not against National Reg- ment Bill is not applicable in areas where provisions of
ister of Citizens (NRC), which is being updated to pro- ILP and sixth schedule of the Constitution apply.
tect indigenous communities from illegal immigrants. 8) Myth: Citizenship Amendment Act is discriminatory
4) Myth: Citizenship Amendment Act will lead to domi- against Muslims.
nation of Bengali speaking people. Fact: Any foreigner of any religion from any country
Fact: Most of the Hindu Bengali population is settled can apply for Indian citizenship if he/she is eligible to
in Barak Valley of Assam, where Bengali is declared do so as per the existing provisions of the Citizenship
the second State language. In Brahmaputra Valley, Act, 1955. The Citizenship Amendment Act does not
Hindu Bengalis are settled in isolated pockets and have change these provisions at all. It only enables migrants
adapted themselves to Assamese language. of six minority communities from three countries
5) Myth: Bengali Hindus will become burden for Assam. to apply for Indian citizenship if they meet the given
Fact: Citizenship Amendment Act is applicable to the criteria.

but the younger daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Delhi Police said that 10 people have been arrest-
Yadav, Aparna Yadav has supported NRC. Aparna ed in relation to the violence in Jamia Millia Islamia
Yadav tweeted on the Citizenship Amendment Bill and University on December 15 but none of them hap-
NRC, saying, “What is the problem of being registered pens to be its students. Later a Delhi court sent them
in the register of what belongs to India?”SP urged the to judicial custody until December 31. The Metropoli-
government to requisition of an emergency Session of tan Magistrate Kamran Khan earlier sent six of the 10
Parliament to carry out an amendment to ensure no arrested people — Mohammad Hanif, Danish alias
discrimination remains in Citizenship Amendment Jafar, Sameer Ahmed, Dilshad, Shareef Ahmed, Mohd
Act. SP opposed the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Danish — to judicial custody after police sought their
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Samajwadi chief Akhilesh custodial interrogation for 14 days.
Yadav tweeted after Jamia students beaten up by Delhi With evacuating the hostels immediately, both the
police, “The BJP government has pushed the country universities declared closed until January 5, 2020, to
into an inferno of violence by its destructive law. It is defuse tension and high tempers of the protesting
inflicting fatal injuries on the future of the country. students for avoiding untoward incidents of violence.
It is said that when people start losing, they become “Internet services in Aligarh, Saharanpur and Meerut
oppressive.” He alleged that the country has not seen a stood suspended, a day after protests broke out in cer-
“power-hungry” party like the BJP before. tain parts of the State, including at AMU, against the

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