60-year-old Sumitra Saha Prasad, also known as Rani Saha, received Indian citizenship after a four-decade wait. She became the first person in Bihar to gain citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019.
Sumitra had been living in Ara town on a visa since marrying Indian citizen Parmeshwar Prasad in 1985.
Her youngest daughter, Aishwarya Prasad, applied for her citizenship in November 2024, and the process was completed in just two months. On Friday, the citizenship certificate was granted during a state-level empowered committee meeting chaired by M. Ramachandran, Director of Census and Citizenship Registration.
Sumitra’s story traces back to her early years in Rajshahi, Bangladesh (then East Pakistan), where she moved to live with her aunt at the age of five. Following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, life for Hindus in Bangladesh remained precarious. She recalled, “Hindus were treated with disdain. The atmosphere was hostile.”
In 1985, she returned to India, reuniting with her family in Katihar before marrying Parmeshwar Prasad. The couple settled in Ara, where Parmeshwar ran a home appliance shop. Despite building a life in India, Sumitra’s existence was overshadowed by the uncertainty of living on a visa.
She faced constant challenges, from frequent renewals to societal taunts. “In 2023, I was summoned to the police station and told to return to Bangladesh,” she shared.
The turning point came in 2024 when her family, during a visa renewal trip to Kolkata, learned about the CAA. The act provides a pathway to citizenship for persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries, including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians.
Aishwarya, her youngest daughter, took the lead in navigating the application process under Section 5(1)(c) of the Citizenship Act. “Aishwarya worked tirelessly for months to secure my citizenship,” said Sumitra.
In January 2025, Sumitra finally became an Indian citizen. With her citizenship, she now has access to essential government services and identification documents, including an Aadhaar card, ration card, and PAN card.
Reflecting on her journey, she said, “Now I don’t need to visit Kolkata for visa renewals. The constant uncertainty is over.”
