B’deshi woman jailed for illegal stay seeks citizenship under CAA

Kolkata: A 27-year-old Bangladeshi woman who spent over a year in prison for overstaying her visa has applied for Indian citizenship at a CAA camp in Thakurnagar, days after being released on bail.Shampa Sarkar, a resident of Khulna district in Bangladesh, had visited relatives in Bongaon multiple times before entering India in Dec 2024 on a valid visa,probably fleeing unrest in her home country.She stayed on at her sister's house in Chandpara, North 24 Parganas, after her documents expired on Jan 6, 2025, leading to her arrest for illegal stay.Following a legal battle that moved from the Bongaon subdivisional court to the Calcutta HC, she was granted bail and released on March 26. On Sunday, she submitted her citizenship application at the Matua Thakurbari camp in Thakurnagar.Her case was taken up by the All India Matua Mahasangha, aligned with Union minister of state Shantanu Thakur, which assisted with her legal proceedings."I came here on a valid passport and visa due to intense unrest in Bangladesh. I was arrested after my visa expired, but with legal help and support from Matua Thakurbari, I was released. Now I hope to stay permanently as an Indian citizen," Shampa said.However, legal experts have flagged a significant hurdle. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 fast-tracks applications only for migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who entered India on or before Dec 31, 2014."Only those who arrived by that cutoff date are eligible under this Act," said Samir Das, public prosecutor at the Bongaon ACJM court.The Matua Mahasangha remains optimistic nonetheless. "Shampa visited India several times before the 2014 deadline with valid documents. After the high court examined these records and granted her bail, she used the same paperwork to apply at the CAA camp. We believe her application is likely to be accepted," said Sukhen Gain, secretary of the organisation.