‘Matuas in Bongaon frustrated & in the lurch over CAA rules’
Kolkata: A palpable sense of disillusionment fills the atmosphere within the Matua community over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the tranquil village of East Jaynagar in Bongaon, nestled near the Bangladesh border.
Seated outside his modest thatched-roof home in the village, 60-year-old Srikanta Sarkar reflects on his dream of a permanent homeland, free from persecution and discrimination — a hope that was briefly rekindled by the implementation of the CAA in March.
However, his dream was swiftly dashed as complexities of the citizenship application process unfolded, demanding proof of residency in Bangladesh, a requirement Sarkar finds impossible to fulfil.
“We have waited decades for citizenship after fleeing religious persecution in Satkhira, Bangladesh. But now, the CAA demands documents we don’t possess,” Sarkar told a new agency. Despite CAA’s implementation two months ago, complexities surrounding the Act persist, leaving many Matuas hesitant to apply online.
The Matuas argue that this undermines the Act’s core purpose and advocate for a revision of its rules.
Lipton Ray, another Matua community member, said: “Where will we get documents proving our citizenship in Bangladesh? Our parents fled with nothing but the clothes they wore.” “The government should issue a new notification with revised rules that eliminate the need for such documents for persecuted people like us,” he said.
The CAA, enacted in March, aims to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014. Applicants must provide documents such as passports or birth certificates, or any other document proving their previous residence in Bangladesh to establish their nationality.
Ray, once a fervent supporter of the Act, now finds himself disillusioned by bureaucratic hurdles and unanswered questions.
“It seems that the very purpose of the CAA is being defeated because of this documentation clause,” Ray remarked. “We want the government to issue a fresh notification granting us citizenship solely based on our religion and our declaration. The problem with this new law is that once you apply, you will be identified as a foreigner and lose all benefits if you don’t have documents from Bangladesh,” said Rekha Biswas, a resident of Sayestanagar in Bongaon. The All India Matua Mahasangha has advised its members to abstain from submitting citizenship applications due to a lack of necessary documents proving their previous residential addresses in Bangladesh.
