Daijiworld Media Network- Guwahati

Guwahati, Aug 8: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday refuted media reports suggesting that the state government had directed foreigners tribunals to drop cases against members of six minority communities — Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, and Parsi — who entered the state before 2015 under provisions of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

Addressing reporters, Sarma said, “The government has not issued any fresh directive apart from what is already provided in the CAA. If any special cabinet decision is taken, I always inform the public, but in this case, there has been no such decision.”

He clarified that the CAA already grants protection to individuals from these six communities who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. “This is the prevailing law, and unless the Supreme Court strikes it down, no additional cabinet approval is needed,” he stated.

The CM, however, confirmed that the state government has allowed withdrawal of foreigners tribunal cases against members of the Koch Rajbongshi and Gorkha communities, whose names were previously listed in the tribunal records.

Meanwhile, the All Assam Students Union (AASU) has announced statewide protests on Friday, alleging that the BJP-led government is attempting to dilute the Assam Accord, which fixes 1971 as the cut-off year for citizenship in the state, irrespective of religion.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act seeks to fast-track citizenship for refugees from six non-Muslim minority communities from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, provided they entered India before December 31, 2014, and have lived in the country for at least six years.

Foreigners tribunals in Assam are quasi-judicial bodies that decide on citizenship issues based on lineage and the 1971 cut-off date. As per official data, of the 1.6 lakh people declared foreigners in the state so far, over 69,500 are Hindus.