Citizenship in limbo: Why Assam’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) Pathway struggled to gain traction

India's 2024 Citizenship Amendment Act was designed as a fast-track to citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. In Assam—where roughly 500,000 Bengali Hindus were excluded from a citizenship register—the government shifted its approach last year, directing officials to help eligible people apply under this new pathway instead of pursuing Foreigners Tribunal cases. But take-up has been minimal: as of July 2026, just seventy people had applied and only six received citizenship. The obstacle, according to Global Voices, is that eligible families fear applying would require them to identify as migrants from Bangladesh, potentially undermining the citizenship claims they've already spent years defending before tribunals. One resident told reporters he'd rather continue fighting than apply—believing the new process could trap his family's legal position. The result is a dual-track system where non-Muslims bypass tribunal scrutiny while Muslims continue to face proceedings with the risk of detention.

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