By TC News Desk
Agartala, 19th October 2024: Amra Bangali strongly condemned the court’s declaration that Bengali refugees who arrived in Assam after March 25, 1971, are not eligible for citizenship under Section 6-A of the Citizenship Act. The organization accused the government of planning to strip Bengalis of their rights and force them out of India.
Addressing a press conference in Agartala city on Saturday, Amra Bangali Secretary Gouranga Rudra Pal stated, “Article 6 was added to the Citizenship Act in 1985 after the signing of the Assam Agreement. Prior to that, the Indian Citizenship Act of 1955 provided that any person could be eligible for citizenship by birth, inheritance, marriage, or by residing continuously in a state for at least five years in accordance with the Constitution of India.”
Pal argued that political motives and the amendment of the Citizenship Act following the Assam Agreement, along with the recent High Court judgment, have instilled severe fear among Bengalis across the country, including Assam, Tripura, and the North Eastern region, regarding their citizenship status.
He further highlighted, “Another reason for fear is that about 20 lakh Bengalis were identified as foreigners and sent to detention camps through the implementation of NRC in Assam state in 2019. According to the recent court announcement, the future of millions of Bengalis in the whole country, including Assam and West Bengal, is now in question.”
Efforts to fully implement the agreement have already begun, and Pal warned that the demand for the expulsion of Bengalis could soon rise across the entire northeastern region, including Tripura. “Bengalis are actually being planned to leave India after taking away their rights,” he asserted.
