Kolkata

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday said that hearings of applications for citizenship under the CAA will soon be over, and so far the state has issued certificates to 23,000 people out of 2.30 lakh applicants.

Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat 'Nabanna', Adhikari said the hearings related to citizenship under the CAA would be completed expeditiously and certificates issued soon.

The CAA or the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees belonging to six communities, who had sought shelter in India before December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in three neighbouring countries — Pakistan, Bangladesh and Bangladesh. The six communities are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians.

“We will complete the hearings quickly through the district magistrates. Out of the 2.30 lakh cases, 23,000 have received certificates and 2.07 lakh are still pending,” Adhikari told a press conference.

He added that those who had not yet applied for citizenship under CAA would also be able to do so and stated that the process for Hindu refugees who came from Bangladesh citing religious persecution would be expedited.

“We will complete the hearings quickly and issue certificates to Hindu refugees who came from Bangladesh because of religious persecution,” the chief minister said.

Adhikari also sought to reassure members of the Matua community and other Hindu refugees who had been waiting for CAA certificates for a long time that they will receive their certificates from him.

"The Government of India has entrusted this responsibility to me," the CM said.

Adhikari had on August 1 said that all pending applications for citizenship under the CAA in the state would be disposed of within the next six months.

On the law-and-order front, Adhikari on Monday announced that a provision of a new legislation would come into force from Monday and warned that those damaging government property would not be spared.

The CM was apparently referring to the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026, which was passed by the assembly in July. The legislation, popularly referred to as the anti-goonda bill, was brought with the stated objective of curbing anti-social activities and strengthening preventive action by the police and administration.

“From today, a part of the anti-goonda law has come into effect in West Bengal. No one will be spared if government property is damaged,” he said.

Adhikari further said those found responsible for damaging public property would be liable to pay three times the cost of the damage, along with interest. He also warned of swift action in cases involving attacks on police personnel.

The Assembly had also passed amendments to the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order Act alongside the anti-goonda legislation. The measures include provisions relating to preventive detention and stricter action involving property of persons accused of anti-social activities.

The chief minister's remarks on public property came against the backdrop of earlier incidents of violence and damage to government assets during protests against the CAA in parts of Murshidabad and other areas of the state.

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Incidentally, the Bengal CM has repeatedly maintained that his government would adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards attacks on police personnel and damage to public property.