Since 10th December 2019, India has become a land of protests. From the capital to the far west; millions of people are coming down to raise their voice against the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
According to the Indian Intelligence Bureau, over 30,000 migrants are expected to be benefited from the amended Citizenship act. But, it’s not simple as it seems to be. This amendment has been subject to criticism for its religious discrimination “agenda”.
The point is; it is not accommodating Muslims under the ambit of amendment and has been alleged, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Dawn of Protests
We have always stated India as a secular country, but looking at its situation right now, it seems that it has become more of hypocrisy.
On Sunday, we Indians witnessed an eruption of protests across the nation, including cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, and the Capital New Delhi. People came out to criticize this Act in a fear that it could further marginalize the country’s minority Muslim community.
In Delhi, students began demonstrating at the Jamia Milia Islamia early Sunday, with around 2,000 people taking part in the protest. Hundreds of people were injured in the protests and dozens were arrested.
According to the university administration, we came to know that students were beaten with batons and sticks, leaving 200 injured.
A Nightmare of a Day
Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Modi have described the citizenship bill as a means of protecting vulnerable groups from oppression. Modi sought to reassure citizens Monday, saying in a statement that the new citizenship bill will “not affect any citizen of India of any religion.”
Sonia Gandhi, president of the opposition Congress Party, said in a statement; “today marks a day in the constitutional history of India”. “The passage of the citizenship amendment bill marks the victory of narrow-minded and bigoted forces over India’s pluralism.”
Protests have been ongoing in Tripura and Assam since the bill was passed into the law. In fact, a large military presence has been sent to the regions, where internet access has been cut off. On Friday, hundreds of people carried out a hunger strike demanding for withdrawal of the bill.
Critics are saying that this law is similar to the USA’s President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban that goes against India’s secular constitution and believes.
