India’s Home Ministry amends immigration rules requiring certain non-Muslim communities to obtain appropriate visas if they entered India without valid documents. The change targets members of six communities—Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians—who come from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan and entered India before a specified deadline.
According to the reports, the amendment applies to people who entered without documents by December 31, 2024, and who either still lack valid travel papers or whose documents have since expired. One framing emphasized is that many people acted out of fear of religious persecution, as described in the Home Ministry’s rationale.
While all outlets cover the core visa requirement for these groups, there are differences in emphasis. Scroll.in also notes additional immigration adjustments for travel involving Indian, Bhutanese and Nepali citizens, and mentions that norms for some Pakistani citizens are relaxed, extending the story beyond the six-community visa condition. The Hindu’s two headlines focus more narrowly on the visa requirement for the specified communities and origins.
