As India grows, so do demands for some to prove citizenship

By SHEIKH SAALIQ and SHONAL GANGULY
Associated Press

MURKATA, India (AP) — Questions over who is an Indian have long lingered over northeastern Assam state. Nearly 2 million people, or over 5% of Assam’s population, could be stripped of their citizenship unless they have documents dating to 1971 that show their ancestors entered the country legally from neighboring Bangladesh. Many believe Assam is overrun with immigrants from Bangladesh, and hundreds have been put in detention centers unable to produce documents to prove they’re Indian. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government has promised to roll out a similar citizenship verification program nationwide even though the process in Assam has been put on hold after a federal audit found it flawed. Critics view it as an attempt to deport millions of minority Muslims.