Activists Slam Govt Bias in Allowing Select Foreign Minorities to Stay in India

Activists Slam Govt Bias in Allowing Select Foreign Minorities to Stay in India
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A recent order from the Indian Home Ministry has sparked controversy by allowing foreign minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan to remain in India without a passport or travel document, while explicitly excluding Muslims, Clarion India reported.

The directive, dated September 5, 2025, extends a new provision to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians who entered India on or before December 31, 2024. This policy is a significant change from the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which had a 2014 cutoff date for non-Muslim minorities to be eligible for citizenship. The new rule, while not granting automatic citizenship, allows a wider group to stay in the country legally.

Critics, including human rights activists and lawyers, have voiced strong opposition, arguing that the exclusion of Muslims is a clear act of discrimination that violates India’s secular and egalitarian constitutional principles. According to activists like Ayesha Khan and lawyer Farhan Ahmed, the policy sends a message that Muslims are being treated differently, which could lead to social unrest and alienation.

The Home Ministry has defended its decision, stating that the policy is consistent with existing laws for persecuted minorities, but its silence on the exclusion of Muslims has led to protests across several Indian cities. Civil society groups are demanding an urgent review of the directive, emphasizing that the exclusion is not only unjust but also unconstitutional.