Citizenship – Assam Woman Once Held in Detention Receives Indian Citizenship Under CAA
Citizenship – A 59-year-old woman from Assam’s Cachar district, who once spent nearly two years in a detention centre after being declared a foreigner, has now been granted Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Her lawyer confirmed that the woman, Depali Das, received her citizenship certificate after completing the legal process laid out under the Act.
Das lives in the Hawaithang area under the Dholai Assembly constituency in southern Assam. In February 2019, a Foreigners’ Tribunal ruled that she was an illegal migrant. Following the tribunal’s decision, police authorities detained her and sent her to a detention centre in Silchar in May the same year.
Tribunal Decision Led to Detention
According to her legal representative Dharmananda Deb, the tribunal concluded that Das had entered India without valid documents and therefore classified her as a foreign national. Acting on this ruling, the police detained her on May 10, 2019, and she was held in the Silchar detention facility.
She remained in custody for close to two years. In May 2021, she was released on bail following a directive from the Supreme Court that allowed several detainees who had been held for long periods to be released under certain conditions.
Das later became the first person in Assam who had previously been declared a foreigner and detained in a centre to receive citizenship under the provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Migration History and Personal Background
Information shared by her lawyer indicates that Das originally lived in Dippur village under Dhirai police station in Sylhet district of present-day Bangladesh. In 1987, she married Abhimanyu Das, who was from Parai village under Baniachong police station in the Habiganj district.
The couple moved to India in 1988 and settled in Assam’s Cachar district. They continued to live there for decades, raising their family in the region.
Her citizenship status first came under official scrutiny in 2013 when police began an investigation into her nationality. During that inquiry, authorities filed a chargesheet stating that she was a resident of Baniachong in Bangladesh and had entered India after March 1971 without proper documentation.
Chargesheet Became Key Evidence
The same chargesheet later became an important document when Das applied for citizenship under the CAA. Her lawyer explained that applicants under the Act are required to show documentary evidence indicating that they migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan or Afghanistan.
In many cases, applicants struggle to produce such records. However, the chargesheet prepared by police in 2013 clearly mentioned that Das had come from Bangladesh. Authorities reviewing her case accepted this document as evidence of migration, which supported her eligibility under the Act.
Application Process After CAA Rules Notified
After being released from detention in 2021, Das decided to apply for citizenship under the CAA once the rules governing the Act were officially notified in 2024. She approached her lawyer for assistance in preparing and submitting the required documents.
Her first formal hearing took place on February 24 last year at the office of the Superintendent of Post Offices in Silchar. This office has been designated as one of the authorities responsible for processing citizenship applications under the CAA.
Two additional hearings followed, during which officials examined her documents and completed the required procedures. The final set of documents was later uploaded online to the Ministry of Home Affairs for further review.
Final Verification and Citizenship Certificate
After field verification by officials from the Home Ministry, Das was called to appear again at the Silchar office on May 25 for the final stage of the process. Social activist Kamal Chakraborty said that after the verification was completed, the authorities approved her application.
On March 6, she received her official certificate confirming Indian citizenship.
Impact on Her Family
Das has four children — one son and three daughters — all of whom were born in India. According to activists involved in the case, her citizenship certificate may serve as an important supporting document if the nationality of her children is ever questioned in the future.
Before this case, four other Bangladeshi nationals living in Assam had been granted Indian citizenship under the provisions of the CAA.
Background of the Citizenship Amendment Act
The Citizenship Amendment Act was passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019. The law allows migrants belonging to certain religious communities — Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and Parsis — who came to India from Bangladesh, Pakistan or Afghanistan to apply for Indian citizenship.
To qualify under the Act, applicants must have entered India between March 25, 1971, and December 31, 2014.
The legislation sparked large protests in several parts of the country when it was introduced, with particularly strong opposition in Assam. Critics, including political parties, student groups and rights organisations, argued that the law uses religion as a basis for granting citizenship and excludes Muslims from its provisions.