Satya Ranjan Barui, in his mid-60s, is the man of the moment in Malda’s Bhulkimari village for receiving his Indian citizenship certificate under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
Barui, originally from Narkelbari village in Gopalganj district of Dhaka division of Bangladesh, came as a refugee to India in 1988.
“Growing atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh forced me to migrate to India to protect myself and my family. But even after living here for decades, the stigma of being branded a Bangladeshi migrant always tormented me,” Barui said. “I am finally free of the stigma.”
Barui added that although the CAA as legislation had given him hope, he initially did not know how to avail its benefits.
“In August 2025, I applied for Indian citizenship under the CAA. I was called for a hearing in the third week of September, and the citizenship certificate was finally issued in the first week of January. I received it a few days ago,” said Barui, who claimed that his name had never appeared on the Indian electoral roll.
As the news spread, many reached his home and congratulated him. Among them was Joel Murmu, the BJP MLA of Habibpur.
“This once again proves that the CAA is meant to provide Indian citizenship to oppressed Hindus from Bangladesh. We will present Barui’s case as an example to reassure Hindu migrants from Bangladesh especially in the light of the ongoing special intensive revision of the poll rolls,” said the MLA. “This will help in clearing the misunderstanding which the Trinamool Congress spreads among people against the CAA.”
The MLA also asked Barui to reach out to people like him and ask them to apply for citizenship under the CAA.
Barui said that he had already spoken with some others who have come from Bangladesh and stay in nearby villages.
“I have assured them that those who have applied for citizenship will get the certificate like me. We will face no problem in getting ourselves enrolled in the electoral roll. Hence, other people like me should apply for citizenship,” he said.
District Trinamool leaders, however, questioned the broader impact of the CAA.
“Barui’s citizenship is a solitary instance. The BJP must clarify how many applicants under the CAA have actually been granted Indian citizenship in Malda and across the state so far,” said Malda district Trinamool spokesperson Subhamay Basu.