South Asia State of Minorities Report 2019 Table 2: The Stateless in India Groups Chakma (Buddhist) and Hajong (Hindu) from Bangladesh, settled in Arunachal Pradesh, between 1964 and 1969 Bengali-speaking persons profiled as ‘illegal migrants’ Location Numbers Arunachal 14,888 settled Pradesh in AP (1964-69). 6087 alive today. Not obtained citizenship yet. Population: 47,471 (2011 Census). Estimated 45,000 born in India.* Assam Close to 100,000 declared ‘foreigner’ by Foreigners Tribunals, 1985 to present 1100 incarcerated in ‘detention centres’. Including women and children.† Bengali- and Nepalispeaking persons, among others, deemed ‘illegal migrants’. Assam Kashmiri ‘exmilitants’ and their families Kashmir * Causes / process A 1996 Supreme Court order directed issue of citizenship to the groups. 2015 order directs processing citizenship applications. Yet no action, due to local resistance and ongoing court cases. Identified by Assam Border Police as suspected foreigners, using Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, and later Foreigners Tribunal Order 1964. Election commission’s identifying Doubtful Voters. Foreigner Tribunals declaring ‘foreigner’, majority in ex parte trials. 1,900,000 persons Deemed non-citizens excluded from under the NRC update final NRC. A large process, 2015-2019, cohort being and risk being made children and stateless. women.‡ At least 400 Returned to India from families.§ Pakistan, in response to 2010 rehabilitation policy for ex-militants. Spouses and children with Pakistani documents, not granted Indian citizenship, nor returned original documents. Singh, Damini. ‘The Chakma-Hajong Challenge,’ Observer Research Foundation, September 27, 2017, https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/chakma-hajong-challenge/. † ‘Unstarred Question No. 1724,’ Supplementary Questions, Parliament of India, last modified July 2, 2019, http://loksabhaph.nic.in/Questions/QResult15.aspx?qref=1909&lsno=17. ‡ Helen Regan, ‘1.9 Million Excluded from Indian Citizenship List in Assam,’ Cable News Network, August 31, 2019, https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/30/asia/assam-national-register-india-intl-hnk/ index.html. § ‘Pakistani Wives of Ex-Kashmiri Militants Appeal GoI for Travel Documents,’ Rising Kashmir, May 5, 2019, http://www.risingkashmir.com/news/pakistani-wives-of-ex-kashmiri-militants-appeal-goi-for-travel-documents--349436.html. 38