In Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi handed over citizenship certificates to 122 migrants from Pakistan.
Officials also confirmed that 73 more applicants received citizenship through the Ahmedabad district collector’s office.
Sanghavi’s Remarks
Sanghavi thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for enforcing the CAA, saying that religious minorities in neighbouring countries had suffered “threats and hardships” for decades.
He told the recipients:
“Muskuraiye, aap ab Bharat ke nagrik hain (Smile, you are now citizens of India).”
Many migrants shared emotional stories about their decades-long struggle to obtain citizenship.
Notable Case
Among the recipients was Dr. Maheshkumar Purohit, a gynaecologist who migrated from Pakistan in 1956.
His citizenship issues surfaced only when he applied for a passport. After many attempts, he finally received recognition and was able to travel abroad to meet his daughter—an experience he called “deeply emotional and long overdue.”
35 Bangladesh-Origin Migrants Gain Citizenship in Odisha
In Bhubaneswar, 35 migrants from Bangladesh living in Nabarangpur district were granted citizenship certificates during a ceremony organised by the Odisha Census Directorate and the Union Home Ministry.
Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi’s Statement
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the citizenship process reflects India’s long-standing values of humanity, protection, and asylum.
He emphasised that many persecuted communities had other nations to turn to, but Hindus facing persecution had no safe place except India.
He added that ensuring their “safety, dignity, and progress” is now the responsibility of the state.
A New Beginning
One of the new citizens, Bapin Mirda, who moved from Bangladesh in 1998, said the certificate gave him “a new sense of identity and belonging.”
CAA Continues to Grant Citizenship Across India
The latest round of approvals shows the ongoing implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which offers a faster citizenship pathway to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Christian, and Parsi migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
These 157 approvals in Gujarat and Odisha mark another major step in extending legal recognition and security to long-settled migrant families.