Seven years ago, India saw one of its largest protests in recent history following the introduction of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. Soon after its came in, tens of thousands of Indians marched the streets in the bitter December cold of 2019, protesting the implementation of the act, which was deemed a violation of the secularism vowed in the Indian Constitution. These stretched into 2020 before Covid hit, as did a government crackdown. Local community members take part in a protest rally against the new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Jorhat, Assam, (2019) (PTI)

However, these mass protests began in Assam, where protestors claimed that the CAA violates the 1985 Assam Accord. Fast forward to 2026, CAA remains a key focus in the state, especially as it prepares to head to the polls later this month.

What is CAA? The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, was introduced and passed by the Indian government in 2019. The act amends the Citizenship Act of 1955 in order to grant illegal migrants a path to Indian citizenship.

Under the 2019 amendment, the CAA made migrants eligible for Indian citizenship if they belong to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian community and are from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan.

This amendment, as per the government, allows religious minorities who fear persecution based on religion to apply for citizenship in India. The act only applies to migrants who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. Certain areas in the North East, such as the tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and those under the Inner Line Permit system, are exempted.

Assam and the CAA factor Days before the bill was set to be tabled in the Lok Sabha in 2019, students across Assam erupted in protest against the act. Silent protests at Cotton University soon took a violent turn as the demonstrations grew following the passage of the bill to become law.

While the nationwide protests erupted due to the alleged marginalisation of Muslims as per the amendments, in Assam the focus remained on “protecting the state's culture and identity”.

The Assam Accord, signed in 1985, brought an end to the Assam militant movement against undocumented migration, especially from Bangladesh, earlier East Pakistan.

Also Read | Making sense of Assam’s discordant response to the CAA