Assam. A woman has been granted Indian citizenship after being under house arrest for two years in Assam’s Cachar district following the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Depali Das, 59, a resident of Hawaithang area of ​​Dholai assembly constituency, was declared an illegal migrant by the Foreigners Tribunal (FT) in February 2019.
Depali Das’s journey to citizenship
Depali Das was detained by the police in May 2019 following the order of the Foreigners Tribunal and sent to Silchar detention centre. After being under house arrest for almost two years, he got bail in May 2021 on the orders of the Supreme Court. According to her lawyer Dharamanand Dev, Depali was originally from Dippur village of Dhirai police station in Sylhet district of Bangladesh. In 1987, she was married to Abhimanyu Das, who was a resident of Parai village of Baniyachong police station in Habiganj district. A year later, in 1988, the couple came to India and settled in Cachar district, where they have lived ever since.
Questions on citizenship and role of CAA
Questions were raised over Depali’s citizenship in 2013 when the police started investigating him. On July 2, 2013, the police filed a charge sheet, stating that Depali was a resident of Banyachong in Bangladesh and had entered India illegally after March 1971. Advocate Dharamanand Dev said that this charge sheet proved important for the application of Indian citizenship under CAA, because the applicant has to provide documentary proof of migration from Bangladesh, Pakistan or Afghanistan. In Depali’s case, the 2013 police charge sheet clearly stated him to be from Bangladesh, which authorities accepted as valid evidence.
Application and Citizenship Certificate under CAA
After being released on bail in 2021, Depali expressed his desire to apply for citizenship under the CAA. After the notification of the rules of the Act was issued in 2024, he approached lawyer Dharamanand Dev for legal assistance. His first hearing took place on February 24 last year at the office of the postal superintendent, Silchar, which is designated to process such applications. This was followed by two more hearings, after which all their documents were submitted online to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Social activist Kamal Chakraborty said that after field verification by Home Ministry officials, Depali was called for final appearance at the office of Silchar postal superintendent on May 25 last year. On 6 March he received his Indian Citizenship Certificate.
important for children
This citizenship certificate is important for Depali’s three children, a son and three daughters. Because all the children are born in India, they can secure their citizenship in the future on the basis of their mother’s citizenship certificate, if any question is ever raised. The Citizenship Amendment Act, which was passed in Parliament on 11 December 2019, had sparked widespread protests across the country, especially in Assam. Under this Act, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain and Parsi migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India between 25 March 1971 and 31 December 2014 can apply for Indian citizenship. Before Depali Das, four Bangladeshi nationals living in Assam were granted Indian citizenship under the CAA.