A government official yesterday said that anyone born in India before July 1, 1987, or whose parents were born before that date are bona fide Indian citizens according to law, and need not worry due to the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA) or a possible nationwide NRC.
#Citizenship of India may be proved by giving any document relating to 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 Indian citizen is unduly harassed or put to inconvenience.#CAA2019
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— Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) December 20, 2019
The statement comes amidst widespread protest against the CAA across India. Several versions and interpretations of the Citizenship Act have been circulating in the social media, and the government has been trying to allay the fears.
The official also said to not compare the Citizenship Act with the NRC in Assam, as the cutoff date for the state is different.
In the case of Assam, the cut-off date for identification of an Indian citizen is 1971.