On January 4, 2020, some 200,000 protestors took to the streets of Hyderabad according to the New York Times. These Indian citizens have been protesting what they see as a dangerous step towards nationalism and religious discrimination. Protests started December 4, 2019 and are still being held across the country.
The Indian government, led by Prime Minister Modi and the Hindu Nationalist Party, or BJP, passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) December 12, fast-tracking the citizenship process for all immigrants and refugees who are not Muslim. Islam is the second-largest religion in India, with some 200 million active practitioners. The passing of this law sparked outrage across the country and massive crowds of protestors have turned out to speak against the law, which went into effect January 10. Causing even more concern among the Muslim and impoverished communities in India is the potential implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The NRC would establish a nationwide register of citizens in India and mandate the detention and expulsion of undocumented individuals not currently in the process of gaining citizenship. The implementation of the CAA and the proposed implementation of the NRC in 2021 appears to many in India like a BJP strategy to expel Muslim refugees and immigrants. The implementation the NRC involves citizens procuring documents that definitively prove their citizenship. Politician and advocate, Rahul Ghandi, was quoted by the Business Standard as saying “Whether NPR or NRC, it is a tax on poor people of the country.”
Prime Minister Modi and the BJP have tried to assuage the concerns of the public by claiming that the CAA and NRC were not intended to be used against Muslims. According to the New York Times, BJP officials claim that the laws are intended to help religious minorities that may be facing persecution in neighboring countries. The Modi government, despite being thrown by the mass mobilization of citizens at first, is still committed to the implementation and enforcement of the CAA and NRC. Police departments and local law enforcement across India have tried to limit the number of protestors allowed at events and force them out. These efforts by the police have been largely unsuccessful. According to India Today, police action against students prompted even more intense resistance in December and January. People across India are fighting for the repeal of the CAA and the defeat of the NRC; they feel these laws run counter to the ideals and identity of India as a secular nation and will continue fighting to preserve said ideals for as long as it takes.
Joseph Doner - Political Editor