‘Citizenship of India may be proved by giving any document relating to the date of birth or place of birth or both,’ Official said
NEW DELHI| On Friday the message came from top government officials clarifying the doubt that Aadhaar, voter ID card, and passport are not citizenship documents.
Giving the brief on the question raised which documents will prove the citizenship under NRC. On social media “government document” emerged indicating that voter IDs be treated as proof of citizenship.
The document was reportedly attributed to government sources. The documents was answering 13 questions to clear the air around Citizenship Amendment Act and possible countrywide NRC and is titled, “Here are the real facts on Citizenship Amendment Act”.
A top government official said that it was “premature” to talk about NRC but also added that documents like voter ID, Aadhaar and passport do not prove citizenship.
“These are either travel documents or documents to show residency in India,” the official said.
Later, the Union Home Ministry put out tweets aimed at dispelling doubts about CAA. The MHA spokesperson said, “Citizenship of India may be proved by giving any document relating to the date of birth or place of birth or both. Such a list is likely to include a lot of common documents to ensure that no citizen is unduly harassed or put to inconvenience”.
Another tweet said illiterate citizens not having any documents will be allowed to produce witnesses or local proofs supported by members of the community. “A well laid out procedure will be followed. #CAA2019,” the tweet said.
Also Read: ‘NRC across India’ Amit Shah reveals his next step
“No one will get Indian citizenship automatically. One has to prove eligibility,” the official said. “There is no intention to throw people out. People are over-worried. Law has sufficient safeguard,” the official said. Home Ministry in consultation with the Law Ministry is preparing the rules for implementation of CAA. He added that the law provides for a national identity card under Section 14A of the Act.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
