Delhi police tighten citizenship verification | Fusion - WeRIndia

In a significant move to strengthen citizenship verification, Delhi Police has announced that Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and ration cards will no longer be considered valid documents to prove Indian citizenship.

Going forward, only a valid Indian passport or voter ID card will be accepted for this purpose.

This decision, reportedly taken under instructions from the central government, aims to address growing concerns over the presence of illegal foreign nationals in the capital.

According to senior police officials, the change follows observations from an ongoing verification drive that began in October last year.

Authorities found that many undocumented migrants were using government-issued ID cards.

These migrants were mostly from Bangladesh and the Rohingya community. They had Aadhaar cards and PAN cards. They used these documents to falsely say they were Indian citizens.

Some were even found possessing identity cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, further complicating the verification process.

As a result, Delhi Police has directed all district Deputy Commissioners of Police to intensify surveillance and increase scrutiny of individuals suspected to be foreign nationals.

The police clarified that the crackdown on undocumented immigrants will continue until all such individuals are identified and deported.

Alongside this, the authorities have escalated efforts to monitor Pakistani nationals residing in Delhi. Of the estimated 3,500 Pakistanis in the city, around 520 are Muslims.

Over 400 have already returned to Pakistan via the Attari border. There was a recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. After this, the central government cancelled most Pakistani visas.

Only diplomatic, long-term, and medical visas were allowed. But medical visas will also become invalid after April 29.

Importantly, the government has stated that the visas of Pakistani Hindus on long-term stay in India will not be affected by these changes.

This policy shift is crucial in enhancing national security and maintaining the integrity of the citizenship verification process.

The government is making the rules stricter for ID documents. This is to stop undocumented migrants from using fake identity cards.

It also helps make sure only real Indian citizens get government help and protection. This action is part of a larger plan to control immigration and keep the country safe.

Image Credit: Dr.Mayukhjee, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_type_Voter_ID.jpg