Clearing the myths and lies around CAA and NRC

As violent protests are erupting across the nation against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Registration of Citizens (NRC), here is the clearing of myths and lies around the two. The CAA seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Through this bill, Indian citizenship will be provided to the members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from the three countries to India till December 31, 2014, to put an end to them being treated as illegal immigrants in the country. On the other hand, the NRC is a register containing all the names of genuine Indian citizens. 

Clearing CAA and NRC

1.  Do Indian Muslims need to worry about CAA + NRC?

• Ans: No Indian citizen of any religion needs to worry at all either about CAA or NRC.

2. Will people be excluded in NRC on religious grounds?

• Ans: No. NRC is not about religion at all. NRC, as and when conducted, shall not be and cannot be on religious grounds. No one can be excluded for being a follower of any religion.

3. How is citizenship decided? Will it be in the hands of government?

• Ans: The citizenship will be decided as per The Citizenship Rules, 2009 as framed under The Citizenship Act, 1955. They are in the public domain. There are five ways in which a person can become an Indian citizen:
• Citizenship by Birth,
• Citizenship by descent,
• Citizenship by registration,
• Citizenship by naturalization,
• Citizenship by incorporation of territory

Read: CAA: Guwahati HC directs Assam govt to restore mobile internet services

4. When NRC comes, will I have to provide details of the birth of parents etc. to prove my Indian citizenship?

• Ans: Details of your birth like date/month and year and place of birth are enough. If not available, you may have to provide such details of the birth of parents, but no documents will be required to be compulsorily submitted, w.r.t parents. Citizenship can be proved by submitting any documents relating to the date and place of birth. The details of such admissible documents are yet to be decided. But they are likely to include voter card, passport, aadhaar, license, insurance papers, birth certificate, school leaving certificate, land or house papers or such other documents issued by public authorities. The list of these documents is likely to be fairly long so that no Indian citizen is put to any undue harassment.

Read: Shahnawaz Hussain criticizes the opposition for misleading Indian Muslims against CAA

5. When NRC comes, Do I have to prove ancestry dating back before 1971?

• Ans: No. You don’t have to prove any ancestry by presenting any document like ID cards or birth certificates of parents/ ancestors dating back to before 1971. That was valid only for the Assam NRC and mandated by the Assam Accord and implemented on the directions of Hon’ble Supreme Court. NRC procedure in the rest of the country is entirely different as provided under The Citizenship(Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.

6.What if a person is illiterate and does not have relevant documents?

• Ans: In this case, authorities will allow him to bring witnesses, various other proofs/community verification etc. A due procedure will be followed. No Indian citizen will be put to undue trouble.

7. Does NRC exclude anyone for being transgender, atheist, Adivasis, Dalits, women and landless without/without documents?

• Ans: No. NRC, as and when carried out, shall not affect any of the mentioned above.

Read: Sitaram Yechury condemns CAA, says 'current situation is worse than Emergency'

Read: Home Minister to chair high-level security meet amid violent CAA protests; Cong huddles