US-based advocacy group welcomes CAA rules’ notification

The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), a US-based advocacy group, has expressed its contentment with the official notification of India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), considering it a significant triumph for persecuted religious minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. CoHNA clarified that the rules laid out by the CAA wouldn’t affect the existing Indian citizens of any faith but would streamline the citizenship process for religious minorities who fled persecution in the aforementioned countries.

In a statement on X, CoHNA declared, “A big win for HumanRights for the persecuted religious #minorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. India finally notifies the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) which was passed by the Indian Parliament in 2019!” The group specified that the CAA expedites citizenship for religious minorities, approximately 31,000 individuals, without impacting the current Indian citizens. It shed light on the severe conditions in Pakistan, where minor girls from minority communities are abducted, forcibly converted, and married to abductors, prompting families to seek refuge in India.

CoHNA disclosed its efforts in 2020 to counter misinformation surrounding the CAA, urging residents of the US and Canada to educate themselves and others about the regulations. The group underscored the importance of thwarting the spread of misinformation and guided individuals to its comprehensive CAA resources page.

The Ministry of Home Affairs officially communicated the rules under the CAA on Monday, enabling eligible individuals to apply for Indian citizenship. The rules, titled the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, provide an online application platform through a dedicated web portal. The CAA’s objective is to confer Indian citizenship upon persecuted non-Muslim migrants who arrived in India before December 31, 2014, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

Despite notable protests following the CAA’s passage in 2019, Union Home Minister Amit Shah affirmed its implementation, and the rules were officially notified on Monday after a delay. Over the last two years, district magistrates and home secretaries in nine states have been authorized to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from the specified countries under the Citizenship Act of 1955. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs’ report for 2021-22, 1,414 individuals from non-Muslim minority communities were granted Indian citizenship between April 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. The Citizenship Act of 1955 allows citizenship by registration or naturalization for non-Muslim minorities in specific states. Notably, authorities in Assam and West Bengal have not been granted citizenship-granting powers.