New Delhi: After several incidents of violence against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 by the protesters across the country, Ministry of Home Affairs sources on Friday said that government is ready to accept suggestions, if any, from people who are staging protests against the amended Act.
MHA spokesperson said, "India citizens do not have to prove any ancestry by presenting documents like identity cards but the certificates extra of parents or grandparents dating back to the pre-1971 situation."
"Illiterate citizens, who may not have any documents, authorities may allow them to produce a witness or local proofs supported by members of the community. A well laid out procedure will be followed," she added.
Clarifying further she said that Citizenship of India may be proved by giving any document relating to the date of birth of place of birth or both. Such a list is likely to include a lot of common document to ensure that no Indian citizen is unduly harassed or put to inconvenience.
A top home ministry official said, "Those who have objections to the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 can give their suggestions to the Union Home Ministry, it will be incorporated as the rules are yet to be framed."
Government official while assuring the interests of minorities and India citizens, further said that anyone born in India before 1987 or whose parents were born before 1987 are bonafide India citizens according to law and need not worry due to the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.
For those born in India on or after December 3, 2004, they will be in the NRC if both parents are citizens of India or if one parent was a citizen of India and other not an illegal migrant at the time of their birth. Responding to claims by some states that CAA will not be implemented within their jurisdiction, MHA sources said that the implementation of the act is under the centre.
"The process will be digital so that people don't face any problem and therefore the role of the District Collector will also be minimised," added MHA sources.
MHA sources said that the Assam NRC was different because it was governed by Assam Accord and had a cut-off date of 1971. But, all-India NRC will be under the Citizenship Amendment Act where provisions of neutralization and birth already protect citizens.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 entitles Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians facing religious persecution in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, to seek Indian citizenship, highlighting the exclusion of Muslims.
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