India grants citizenship to first batch of immigrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan

May 17, 2024 6:22 am

New Delhi: India granted citizenship to a first group of 14 people on Wednesday under a controversial law criticized for discriminating against Muslims, during general elections where religious divisions are prominent.

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) grants citizenship to Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians who fled Muslim-majority Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan before 31 December 2014, due to religious persecution, reports Arab News.

Passed in 2019, the law was initially delayed because of strong protests and sectarian violence in New Delhi and other areas, which resulted in numerous deaths. India implemented the act in March, just weeks before the ongoing elections in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are seeking a rare third consecutive term. Both Modi and the BJP deny that the CAA is anti-Muslim.

Four of the seven election phases have concluded, and votes will be counted on 4 June.

India granted citizenship to a first group of 14 people on Wednesday under a controversial law criticized for discriminating against Muslims, during general elections where religious divisions are prominent.

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) grants citizenship to Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians who fled Muslim-majority Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan before December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution.

Passed in 2019, the law was initially delayed because of strong protests and sectarian violence in New Delhi and other areas, which resulted in numerous deaths. India implemented the act in March, just weeks before the ongoing elections in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are seeking a rare third consecutive term. Both Modi and the BJP deny that the CAA is anti-Muslim.

Four of the seven election phases have concluded, and votes will be counted on 4 June, says Arab News.

On Wednesday, the recipients took the oath of allegiance and were granted citizenship after their documents were verified, the home ministry said in a statement without detailing their identities.

India, with a Hindu majority, has the world’s third-largest Muslim population, totaling 200 million. Rights and opposition groups have criticized Modi’s government and the BJP, claiming they target the minority community and systematically discriminate against them to further the party’s core Hindu revivalist ideology.

Modi and BJP deny the accusation and say they work for the welfare of all communities.

They have also stated that the citizenship law is intended to make it easier for non-Muslim refugees to attain a dignified life by granting them citizenship, rather than taking it away from anyone. They noted that Muslim refugees can still apply for citizenship under the regular rules governing the process.

“This is like being reborn,” Harish Kumar, a Hindu refugee from Pakistan living in Delhi for over a decade, told news agency ANI after getting his citizenship on Wednesday. “If a person doesn’t have rights then what is the point, (now) we can go forward in education, jobs.”

India began voting on 19 April in the seven-phase election for which Modi launched his campaign by showcasing his economic record, governance and popularity.