Overview

• The Home Ministry’s September 1 Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order lets Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who entered by December 31, 2024 stay without passports or valid travel documents.
• Government sources and legal reporting say the measure shields eligible entrants from prosecution or detention and does not alter the CAA’s fast‑track citizenship cut-off of December 31, 2014.
• The All Assam Students’ Union held an 11-hour statewide hunger strike on September 4, burned copies of the order, and announced follow-up protests on September 16, 20 and 23.
• Assam Congress, AJP and allied groups denounced the move as a ‘vote-bank’ tactic and a ‘second CAA,’ urging that Assam be exempted, the border with Bangladesh be sealed, and illegal immigrants be deported.
• Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma downplayed the practical impact, saying Assam has received 12 CAA citizenship applications so far and approved three.