
Violent mob ignited three public buses and destr oyed several other vehicles in Delhi on Monday during a demonstration by students of Jamia Milia University over the new Citizenship Act. There was a violent protest in Aligarh University, among other such incidents across India.
Since the government of India changed its Citizenship Act on December 12, favoring the religious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, there have been protests in several parts of the country. Assam and the other north-eastern states, as the first region, experienced the violence breakout. Subsequently, cities in West Bengal witnessed arson and vandalism. There are aggressive reactions against the Act in parts of UP also.
Congress, Left – parties, TMC, SP, and BSP are the major political parties up against the ruling BJP dispensation over this government move, but as of now, the student outfits are on the street. They are at Jamia Milia Islamia University; they are at Aligarh Muslim University, at Jadavpur University and Hyderabad University. Students in Mumbai IIT and Hyderabad University are also protesting.
The new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) qualifies migrants who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Christians to get Indian citizenship. The objection is because the Muslims from these countries are not in the list of beneficiaries. This exclusion, cited as discrimination against Muslims on religion basis, has fueled controversy in India. This is in violation of right to equality before law under the constitution of India, they say.
However, the Indian government holds that the Act is about giving citizenship; it does not take away anyone’s citizenship. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been reiterating that it is not against the Muslims; it is against the infiltrators.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that CAA does not affect any citizen of India of any religion. No Indian has anything to worry regarding this Act. This Act is only for those who have faced years of persecution outside and have no other place to go except India.
The Indian Parliament observed 16 hours of hectic debate both in the LoK Sabha and the Rajya Sabha before it passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill. On December 9, the Lok Sabha passed the bill by 311 is to 80, and the Rajya Sabha cleared the bill on 11 December by 125-99.
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