Fact Check: "Only Muslims must prove citizenship in Assam, while Hindus are exempt."
What We Know
The claim that "only Muslims must prove citizenship in Assam, while Hindus are exempt" arises from the context of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) enacted in India in December 2019. The CAA provides a pathway to Indian citizenship for non-Muslim religious minorities—specifically Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians—who fled persecution from neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014 (Changes to India's Citizenship Laws, The Citizenship (Amendment) Act in India).
While the CAA does not explicitly state that Muslims must prove their citizenship, it has been interpreted to create a differential standard for religious groups, which has led to widespread criticism and allegations of discrimination against Muslims. The act has been viewed as part of a broader trend of marginalization of Muslims in India (Increasing Abuses against Religious Minorities in India, CAA: India's new citizenship law explained).
Analysis
The assertion that only Muslims must prove citizenship is partially true. The CAA indeed offers a more lenient path to citizenship for non-Muslims, which implies that Muslims, who do not benefit from this provision, may face greater scrutiny regarding their citizenship status. This has led to fears among the Muslim community in Assam and elsewhere that they may be disproportionately targeted in citizenship verification processes, such as the National Register of Citizens (NRC) (Increasing Abuses against Religious Minorities in India, India: Citizenship Amendment Act is a blow to Indian ...).
Critics argue that the CAA violates the secular principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution by explicitly excluding Muslims from its provisions. This has raised concerns about the potential for increased discrimination against Muslims in citizenship verification processes (CAA: India's new citizenship law explained, India: Citizenship Amendment Act is a blow to Indian ...).
However, it is important to note that the CAA does not legally mandate that only Muslims must prove their citizenship; rather, it establishes a framework that privileges certain religious groups over others, which can lead to the perception and reality of unequal treatment.
Conclusion
The claim is Partially True. While the CAA does not explicitly require Muslims to prove their citizenship while exempting Hindus, it creates a legal framework that favors non-Muslims, leading to significant implications for how citizenship verification is conducted in practice. This has resulted in fears and accusations of discrimination against Muslims, particularly in states like Assam where citizenship status is under scrutiny.
