Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) holds little relevance in the state, as Hindu Bengalis have not applied for citizenship under its provisions, confident of their Indian identity.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Sarma said there was “no reason to doubt” the citizenship of Hindu Bengalis who settled in Assam before 1971. He recalled that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had facilitated their settlement that year without mentioning their return.

Sarma noted that only 12 people in Assam have applied under the CAA so far, with three granted citizenship. He added that no applications have been made since the implementation of the Immigration and Foreigners’ (Exemption) Order, 2025, which allows minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan — including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians — to stay in India if they arrived before December 31, 2024, even without passports or travel documents.

Despite five deaths during protests against the CAA in Assam, Sarma said the law has not significantly impacted the state. “If lakhs of applications are filed, then we will take a call. For now, the issue does not arise here,” he said.

Opposition parties and the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) have criticised the Centre, claiming the government is violating the Assam Accord of 1985, which set March 1971 as the cut-off to identify and deport illegal migrants. They argue that extending the cut-off first to 2014 under the CAA, and now to 2024 under the new order, seeks to legalise recent arrivals of Hindu Bengalis from Bangladesh.

The issue highlights Assam’s ongoing tensions over migration and identity, which remain politically sensitive decades after the Assam Accord was signed.