Of Citizenship, State, Society and Politics: Situating Muslim Immigrants after National Register of Citizenship and Citizenship Amendment Act (2019) in Assam

Abstract

Citizenship in the Indian state of Assam is a contentious issue and it is generally associated with the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants (popularly known as Aboidha Bangladeshis). The “Aboidha Bangladeshis” are considered responsible for many problems in Assam. They are also considered as a challenge to the democratic politics of the state. It is widely acknowledged that many illegal immigrants have got registered themselves in the electoral roll and participate in the political process. There has been a long and persistent demand for the detection and deportation of these illegal immigrants to Bangladesh. The National Register of Citizenship (NRC) Assam was initiated to meet this demand of identifying the illegal immigrants. However, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 has diverged from this demand. This act enables granting citizenship to even the illegal immigrants of Hindus, Sikhs, Jain, Parsis, Christians, and Buddhists communities from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Muslims have been kept outside the provision of this act. Drawing on public document, media reports and social histography of the region, this article argues that the citizenship issue is communalised now. The illegal immigrants are predominantly perceived to be Muslims and are subjected to various forms of stigmatization in Assam. Although, there are several other immigrant groups in the state, Bangladeshi in particular are treated harshly. Therefore, the communal divide emerging out of the process of documentation of citizenship via NRC Assam and amending citizenship law to favour certain groups have rendered Muslim immigrants more vulnerable.