On Monday (March 11), the Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi notified the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). This Act was crucial to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s agenda during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
#BREAKING: Modi govt notifies Citizenship Amendment Act
— Akshita Nandagopal (@Akshita_N) March 11, 2024
The issuance of these rules is expected to create a pathway for migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, specifically those belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian communities, to obtain citizenship in India.
Today, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be announcing the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA-2019). These rules will empower those eligible under CAA-2019 to seek Indian citizenship through the application process.
The applications will be submitted in a completely online mode for which a web portal has been provided.
The applications will be submitted in a completely online mode for which a web portal has been provided. (2/2)@HMOIndia @PIB_India @DDNewslive @airnewsalerts
— Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) March 11, 2024
Here’s what the gazette notification issued says:
The Lok Sabha on 9th December 2019 passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 while the Rajya Sabha passed it on 11th December 2019.
Addressing the Parliament at the time, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated that the Bill is not against any Minority in India and the rights of each Indian Citizen will be equally protected.
Shah had said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, will give a new ray of hope to persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have migrated to India after facing persecution on the ground of religion in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
Even as the Bill itself was passed, the rules required for its implementation were not notified. Anti-CAA protests rocked the country immediately after the passage of the Bill with several Muslims holding the state to ransom.
Violence was reported across cities, including in the national capital. At least 53 people died in the subsequent riots that followed and 200 people were left injured.
OpIndia had extensively covered the anti-Hindu riots, which were falsely presented by the mainstream media as an anti-Muslim pogrom, and facts documenting tragic cries of Hindus that would otherwise have gone unheard.
