Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday stated that only three people have been granted Indian citizenship in the state under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), dispelling earlier concerns that lakhs could benefit from the law.

The Chief Minister said the state government has received only 12 applications so far. “Out of these, three have been approved and the remaining nine are under examination,” he added.

Sarma noted that fears of a large influx of foreigners gaining citizenship were exaggerated. “There was a hue and cry that 20–25 lakh people would be given citizenship in Assam. Now, with only 12 applications received, one can decide if it is still relevant to debate the CAA,” he said.

In August 2024, Dulon Das, 50, became the first person in Assam to be granted citizenship under the Act. The other two recipients’ details have not been disclosed.

The CAA, passed in 2019 and implemented in March 2024, allows non-Muslim migrants — Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis — from Bangladesh, Pakistan, or Afghanistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, and have lived in the country for at least five years, to apply for citizenship.

Following the law’s implementation, the Assam government directed border police in July 2024 not to forward cases of non-Muslim migrants who arrived before 2015 to Foreigners’ Tribunals. Last month, authorities instructed all districts to withdraw pending cases against such migrants and guide them to apply under the CAA.