Indian Muslims protest to enactment of biased citizenship law before election

Protests have broken out in various parts of India in response to the Narendra Modi government’s enforcement of a contentious citizenship law prior to national elections, Al Jazeera reported.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) notification, issued on Monday, introduces India’s first religion-based citizenship criteria, departing from decades of a constitutionally secular framework, with critics arguing the law discriminates against Muslim refugees.

After the notification of the law, protests erupted at several locations by activists and student groups, including Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi, leading to police intervention.

The amendment fast-tracks citizenship for refugees from neighboring countries who are Hindu, Sikh, Christian, or belong to other religious minorities, excluding Muslims. Consequently, individuals such as the Rohingya from Myanmar, persecuted Ahmadiyya from Pakistan, and the Hazara from Afghanistan do not benefit from these provisions.

Yogendra Yadav, a political scientist and activist closely involved in anti-CAA protests, stated that the CAA aims to establish two tiers of citizenship in India: non-Muslims and Muslims.

The law was passed by Parliament in 2019, but its implementation has been postponed by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

Lengthy protests against the legislation paralyzed parts of New Delhi, leading to sectarian violence in early 2020, resulting in over 100 deaths, predominantly Muslims.