India fast-tracks citizenship for non-Muslims, leaves Muslims at risk
Hindu nationalist-led government accused of sidelining Muslims as state of Assam exempts only non-Muslim groups from citizenship scrutiny
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Authorities in India’s northeastern state of Assam have withdrawn citizenship-related legal cases for six religious communities—excluding Muslims—in a move that observers say reinforces a growing pattern of religious discrimination under the country’s Hindu nationalist government.
The decision ends legal proceedings for Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis who entered the state on or before December 31, 2014. The order was made under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a controversial law passed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in 2019.
According to Clarion India, state tribunals have been instructed to stop pursuing citizenship cases involving the six non-Muslim groups and review all pending cases. However, Muslims facing similar legal uncertainty remain excluded.
Assam, a culturally distinct region bordering Bangladesh, has been at the center of India’s most contentious citizenship policies. In 2018, the state implemented the National Register of Citizens (NRC), a large-scale verification process to identify so-called undocumented migrants.
The result: over 1.9 million people were excluded from the citizenship list, including about 700,000 Muslims—many of whom have lived in India for generations.
While the CAA provides a pathway to citizenship for non-Muslim communities left out of the NRC, Muslims are denied this legal relief—a distinction rights groups say creates a two-tiered system based on religion.
“Nearly 700,000 Muslims were left out of the NRC in 2018, and they continue to suffer without legal recognition or protection. ,” said Farhan Ahmed, a local activist. “This decision ignores their rights and continues the long history of discrimination against Muslims in Assam.”
India’s constitution guarantees equal rights regardless of religion, but rights activists argue that Modi’s government has increasingly embraced a Hindutva ideology—a political vision that aims to reshape India as an explicitly Hindu nation. Policies such as the CAA, the revocation of Kashmir’s autonomy, and mass arrests of Muslim activists have deepened concerns about the erosion of secularism and democratic norms.
The decision was directed by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, a hardline Hindu nationalist widely known for his Islamophobic rhetoric. Sarma has previously stated that of those excluded from the NRC, over 500,000 Bengali Hindus and 200,000 Assamese Hindus could now be protected under the CAA. But the Muslims excluded from the NRC—roughly one-third of the total—remain vulnerable to detention or statelessness.
The 1985 Assam Accord, a historic agreement aimed at regulating immigration into Assam, set March 24, 1971, as the cutoff date for determining legal residency. Analysts argue that Assam’s latest decision violates that principle by prioritizing religion over law.
Opposition leaders and civil society groups have condemned the move. “This decision undermines the unity of Assam and violates the principles of justice,” said Priya Das, a regional political spokesperson. “Citizenship rights cannot be selectively granted based on religion. The government must protect all communities equally.”
As protests erupt across Assam, the state government faces growing pressure to ensure that citizenship laws are applied fairly—not based on faith, but on fundamental rights.
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