Kolkata: The West Bengal government has deputed 12 IAS officers in Nadia and North 24-Parganas districts to expedite the verification of documents submitted by applicants seeking citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
According to a senior official at the state secretariat, Nabanna, the officers will assist the District Magistrates of Nadia and North 24-Parganas in verifying the applicants’ documents. Based on their reports, the DMs will conduct hearings and issue citizenship certificates to eligible applicants.
The move follows Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s recent statement that of the 2.5 lakh applicants under the CAA, only 25,000 had received citizenship.
Adhikari had said that the government would accelerate the process and provide citizenship certificates to eligible applicants by December 31.
The deployment of IAS officers is intended to speed up document verification and clear pending applications in the two districts.
Civil Society Members Condemn Attacks on Christians in Bengal
Prominent members of civil society, including retired bureaucrats, journalists and human rights activists, have expressed concern over reported attacks on Christian minorities in West Bengal since May.
The group questioned how far the state had moved away from the constitutional rights guaranteed to citizens over the preceding six months. Members also criticised the BJP-led government in the state over the reported incidents.
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Former Rajya Sabha member and former Prasar Bharati chief Jawhar Sircar was among the speakers. He alleged that the oppression of Christians was taking place at an alarming level and raised concerns about the reasons behind the reported attacks.
The civil society members called attention to the need to protect constitutional rights and the safety of minority communities.
North 24 Parganas District
• Romil Dwivedi
• Mudita Bansal
• Ravula Jayasimha Reddy (also cited as Ravul Jaisingh Reddy)
• Tejaswa
• Swami Sunil Ramling
• Rajat Yadav
Nadia District
• Ritika Rath
• Chougule Aditi Sanjay (also cited as Chogle Aditi Sanjay)
• Abhishek Chowdhury
• Meghna Chakraborty
• Saksham Bhatia
• Himanshu Bhaskar
These officers are currently serving as assistant magistrates and assistant collectors in different parts of the state and have been temporarily attached to these two specific districts for a two-month duration.
The state government’s administrative surge follows an announcement by Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday in Thakurnagar, where he revealed that only about 25,000 applicants in West Bengal have been granted citizenship under the CAA so far. To accelerate the initiative, the Chief Minister pledged to fast-track the evaluation process, targeting the completion of hearings and the issuance of citizenship to 2.5 lakh applicants by December 31.
Buxa Tigress BT1 Safely Captured After Travelling Over 100 km into Assam
In a major wildlife operation, a tigress from West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve in Alipurduar district was safely captured in Assam after travelling more than 100 kilometres from its release site.
Identified as BT1, the tigress had been released into the wild at Buxa Tiger Reserve on October 2. It subsequently crossed into Assam and reached Raimona National Park in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
After spending nearly two weeks in Raimona National Park, the tigress was tranquilised on Tuesday and safely captured through a coordinated operation involving forest officials from West Bengal and the BTR, local authorities and communities.
Following the operation, the tigress was brought back to the BTR.
The operation highlighted the importance of coordination between forest departments across state boundaries, particularly when wildlife moves beyond its original habitat.
