Kolkata: BJP govt in Bengal has given citizenship certificates to 5,966 persons under CAA, and pending applications will be cleared within six months, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Saturday.After handing over citizenship certificates to beneficiaries from North 24 Parganas at New Town Convention Centre, Adhikari said, “As many as 23,956 people have been given CAA certificates to date. We (BJP govt) have given CAA certificates to a total of 5,966 persons in the past 11 weeks. Overall, there are 2,30,605 applicants. District-wise, the highest number of certificates have been given in Nadia (10,191), followed by North 24 Parganas (8,930).”Adhikari further said, “Those who haven’t applied yet, please apply. For those who came after 2014, Union govt had issued another notification on Sept 1, 2025, mentioning that no cases will be filed against those who came from Bangladesh to this country by Dec 31, 2024, to save their lives or to protect their religion, and police cannot harass them.” The CM added, “If there is anyone who falls under CAA purview and is in jail, govt will arrange for their release.”Adhikari promised all CAA applications will be resolved within six months. “For those who came by Dec 31, 2014, arrangements will be made for further simplification. Once this is done, we will include their names in the voters’ list,” CM said.Adhikari said the previous govt had opposed CAA process. “Nowhere is it said that Muslims’ citizenship will be taken away. Muslims were made to understand that this is NRC. This law states that religious minorities who came to India from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh by Dec 31, 2014, will be given citizenship status. The previous CM had taken out a procession against CAA. Govt property was destroyed by misleading people,” Adhikari said.Among 300 beneficiaries from North 24 Parganas, 120 each were from Bongaon and Barasat, and 60 from Basirhat. “We are relieved to get our citizenship certificates. It was a long wait, and we were anxious about whether our applications would be accepted or not,” said Champa Roy from Bongaon. “We are very happy and relieved to get our citizenship certificate,” said Gopal Chandra Mridha, another resident of Bongaon.
