Migrants, Refugees and the Stateless in India statelessness, i.e., sui soli, parents not ‘illegal migrants’, and residency and language requirement. iii. Citizenship • Revoke the Citizenship Amendment Act 1955, introducing a religion test in the determination of citizenship. Abolish ordinances that relax criteria selectively for refugees from specific countries and of specific religious faiths. Replace these with an inclusive, all-embracing law that makes India home to persecuted minorities—religious, ethnic and linguistic. • Relax provisions for grant of citizenship to refugees and their children, and to prevent statelessness across all groups, and not selectively by religion, or countries. • Remove arbitrariness in the Citizenship Act 1955, present in the form of complex procedures, language criterion, and denial of OCI61 to those with any links to Pakistan, Bangladesh, among others. iv. Assam NRC and appeals against exclusion from NRC • Provide effective redress to those excluded from NRC in Assam, through provision of legal aid, changes to appeals procedures set out in recent orders (30 May 2019 amendment to Foreigners Tribunal orders), and Foreigners Tribunals acting as effective redress bodies, removing arbitrariness in their proceedings. • Close down detention centres in Assam and release all detainees. Conduct special audit of those declared foreigners already, including those currently in detention, to identify those who might have been the victims of arbitrary procedures. Initiate discussions with relevant foreign governments for deportation of illegal immigrants. and provide a route to appeals before FTs (part of the NRC process) for the rest. • Address ‘immigrant’ anxieties of Assamese population by working on a policy of opportunity creation and identity safeguards that are equitable and inclusive for all individuals deemed citizens in Assam. 61 OCI or Overseas Citizen of India, grants life-long visa to persons of Indian origin. ‘India origin’ is defined arbitrarily. 63