Archive · 23 Aug 2025
Report: Assam's Citizenship Verification Undermines Rights
A new report says that the process of checking who is a citizen in Assam isn't fair.
It says that many people have been wrongly labeled as non-citizens because of small mistakes in their paperwork.
Also, it forces people to prove they belong, which is hard for those who are poor or don't have all the right documents.
Many cases are decided without the people involved getting a chance to speak up.
Some people have been pushed back into other countries, and there's a lot of fear.
Report details how Assam's citizenship verification regime undermines rule of law and human rights.
Nearly 166,000 people have been declared foreigners based on minor errors.
The system reverses burden of proof, forcing marginalized groups to prove citizenship.
Many cases are decided without the accused being heard.
Discussion touches on pushbacks, violence, and climate of fear.
- Who
- Legal scholar Mohsin Alam Bhat, lawyer HRA Choudhary, journalist Arshad Ahmed, and author Harsh Mander.
- What
- Assam's citizenship verification process and its impact on human rights and legal standards.
- When
- The report's findings are current.
- Where
- Assam, India.
- Why
- To examine how the citizenship verification regime undermines the rule of law.
Critics of the Verification Process
Not Applicable
Rule of Law Violation
Critics of the Verification Process
The current process systematically undermines the rule of law and human rights.
Not Applicable
Not applicable, as only one viewpoint is presented.
- Report Title
- Unmaking Citizens: The Architecture of Rights Violation and Exclusion in India’s Citizenship Trials
- Focus
- Assam's citizenship verification regime
- People Declared Foreigners
- Nearly 166,000
- Key Issues
- Burden of proof, ex parte decisions
