Amid massive protests across the country against new citizenship law, the government on Friday said it was ready to accept suggestions on the matter. Those who have objections to the Citizenship Amendment Act can give their suggestions to MHA, a top government official said today. The suggestions would be incorporated as the rules are yet to be framed, the official added.
Anyone born in India before 1987 or whose parents were born before 1987 are bona fide Indian citizens according to law and need not worry due to the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA) or a possible countrywide NRC, the government official said. According to the 2004 amendments of the Citizenship Act, people of the country, barring those in Assam, whose one parent is an Indian and neither is an illegal immigrant are also considered Indian citizens.
Those who are born in India before 1987 or whose parents were born in the country before that year are considered Indians under naturalisation as per the law, the official said. In case of Assam, the cut of date for identification of an Indian citizen is 1971.
Violent protests have taken place in different parts of the country after the Parliament passed the contentious legislation last week. At least three people were killed in police firing during protests in Assam, two others in Mangaluru and one in Lucknow.
According to the CAA, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 and facing religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants, and be given Indian citizenship.
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