Ever since the proposal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill that has now become an act and the proposed National Register of Citizens was made, protests are being carried out throughout the country, opposing it. With each passing day, the uproar against the Citizenship Amendment Bill is getting bigger and louder. There has been a huge unrest in the nation, following which the government had to impose Section 144 in various parts of the country along with internet ban.Death toll due to agitation against CAA touched 10 in Uttar Pradesh. Besides, two were killed in police firing in Mangaluru.

Followingthe CAA & NRC furore, Kerala government put a stay order on all the works related to National Population Register. Free journalists have been detained in Karnataka following the agitation. Protestors are being detained in Delhi too.

Minister for Kannada and Culture in Karnataka, C.T. Ravi commented that a ‘Godhra-like’ situation can arise if the majority “loses patience”. Following this, former minister and Congress leader from Mangaluru U.T. Khader states that Karnataka will burn if the Citizenship (Amendment) Act is implemented.

Referring to Mr. Khader’s statement, Mr. Ravi said, “It is this mindset that burnt a rail in Godhra and people of this mindset who burnt karsevaks alive. We know that. But I think Khader knows what happened if there is a reaction, he has seen what happened when people rose in an uprising to the burning of the train in Godhra. If he has forgotten it, let him remember it once. Because the majority community here is patient, you are trying to put fire everywhere. I advise you to look back and see what happens when our patience runs out. Our patience is not weakness. We are also seeing how you are damaging public property and putting fire in the State.”

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questions PM Modi that if“CAB was so good, why did you (PM) not vote for it?” citing his absence in the Lok Sabha when Citizenship Amendment Bill was tabled.

Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar says, “Not just minorities, but those who think about country’s unity and progress are opposing CAA and National Register of Citizens (NRC).” He further adds that, “CAA and NRC are attempts to divert attention from serious issues the country is facing.”

In a video message shared by the Congress party, Sonia Gandhi shares, “In a democracy people have the right to raise their voice against wrong decisions and policies of the govt and register their concerns. BJP govt has shown utter disregard for people’s voices and chosen to use brute force to suppress dissent.”

Since the CAA exempts the Sri Lankan Tamils, Tibetan refugees and Rohingyas in Myanmar from getting the Indian Citizenship and excludes the Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, the protestors find the act against the ‘secular’ fabric of India.

Protestors are being hit by tear gas shells, water cannons and bomb shells. Students and free press journalists are being lathi charged and illegally detained. The severity of this situation needs some quick response from the authorities or else the peaceful protests might take form of bloody revolt.The stir caused by CAA and NRC draws a situation parallel to that of Gujarat riots of 2002.Granting citizenship to people on the basis of their religion harms the actual spirit of India, i.e. secularism – which is the actual reason behind such an outrage.

One also questions that while India was facing the brunt on the name of economy then why did the BJP government put forward CAB? India’s GDP has witnessed a sharp 4.6% decline. At the same time, Unemployment rate in India is highest ever in the history – 7.48% in November. It is highest among the people aged 15-29 years.

(The Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) of 1973 authorises the Executive Magistrate of any state or territory to issue an order to prohibit the gathering of four or more people in an area. As per the law, every member of such ‘unlawful assembly’ can be booked for engaging in rioting.)

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