A demonstrator holds a poster during a protest against the citizenship law outside the Jamia Millia Islamia university in New Delhi [Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters]
Published in AlJazeera on Dec 19th, 2019
Rallies expected across the country despite prohibitory orders at some places as anger against ‘anti-Muslim’ law mounts.
Big rallies are expected across India on Thursday as the tumultuous and angry reaction builds against a citizenship law seen as discriminatory against the country’s 200 million Muslims.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s move to drive the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) through the Parliament of India last week has ignited nationwide protests that have often turned violent, with six people killed and students attacked.
The law gives migrants fleeing persecution from neighbouring Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh an easier path to citizenship, except that Muslims – 14 percent of India’s population – are excluded.
Critics say it is further proof that Modi, emboldened by a resounding election victory this year, is moving quickly to reshape India as a Hindu nation and weaken its secular foundations.
India’s Supreme Court turned down a plea on Wednesday to halt implementation of the law but said it would hold hearings next month on the sweeping measure.
More rallies amid prohibitory orders
During the past week of unrest, hundreds of people have been arrested, authorities have cut the internet in some flashpoint areas and banned large gatherings in others.
Police have fired tear gas into crowds and been accused of beating protesters, including women and students, heightening the anger.
Protest organisers have flagged plans for large rallies on Thursday in large cities across India, including the capital of New Delhi.
Police refused a march permit for one of two large demonstrations planned in New Delhi, officials said. Organisers said they planned to march anyway.
With more demonstrations likely, authorities in the southern state of Karnataka have moved to ban large public gatherings in at least three important cities, a police official said.
The restrictions will come into force on Thursday morning, including in the state capital Bengaluru where offices of dozens of multinational companies including Walmart Inc’s Flipkart, Uber, Infosys and Wipro, are based.
Similar restrictions were also imposed in Lucknow, capital of northern Uttar Pradesh state.
Ban on gatherings in capital
In New Delhi, authorities on Wednesday also imposed a ban on gatherings of more than four people in some of its Muslim-dominated districts.
Police fired shots in the air in a Muslim-dominated part of the capital to repel thousands of demonstrators throwing stones and glass bottles, demanding the law be withdrawn.
At a protest in front of New Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia university, which was stormed by police on Sunday night, leaving 200 students injured, 70-year old Fasiur Rehman accused Modi’s administration of singling out Muslims.
“This government wants to turn us into second-class citizens,” he said, as several hundred protesters around him raised slogans, held up banners, and waved the Indian flag.
The crowd of mostly young people defied the ban on large gatherings.
“We are really very angry with the BJP government … they have taken racism to the extreme point,” Taiba Hadis, 18, told AFP news agency at the rally.
“They are questioning our existence, and it is high time for us to speak up.”
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Protests across India
In the financial capital of Mumbai, hundreds of people rallied on Wednesday carrying placards with the words: “India is Ours” and chanting “We Are All One”.
“We just cannot go along with this bill. I can’t believe we now have to prove our citizenship after living in India for so many years,” Tabeer Rizvi told AFP as the Mumbai crowd burst into a Hindi version of the US civil rights movement anthem: “We shall overcome”.
“I am not surprised to see people of all religions come out to protest this bill.”
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Rallies were also held in other states including Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Telangana on Wednesday.
In the northeastern state of Assam, which has seen some of the most violent protests against the CAA, thousands of people came out on the streets of several cities on Wednesday.
“We shall continue with our agitation till we get a favourable response from the Supreme Court,” said Samujjal Bhattacharya of the All Assam Students’ Union.
In West Bengal state, where some protests have also turned violent, four people were injured in scuffles in the Uttar Dinajpur district after a procession against the CAA, local official Arvind Meena said.
‘Excessive force’
The UN Secretary-General’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday the global body was “concerned about the violence and alleged use of excessive force by security forces that we’ve seen that have been taking place”.
The United States’s State Department urged New Delhi to “protect the rights of its religious minorities in keeping with India’s constitution and democratic values”.
At a news conference with his Indian counterpart on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington cares deeply about protecting religious rights everywhere but gave a muted answer on the issue.
“We honour Indian democracy as they have a robust debate inside India on the issue,” he said.
India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar repeated the government’s line that it was a measure designed to address the needs of persecuted religious minorities.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES