New Delhi, 14 March, 2024 (GNP): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the guidelines for the implementation of the controversial law, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), weeks before elections due in May.
According to the law, individuals from diverse religious backgrounds like Parsis, Jains, and Christians from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh were eligible to obtain Indian citizenship if they had taken refuge in the country before December 31, 2014. However, the Muslim community is excluded from this law.
This sparked nationwide outrage across India as the law showcased its discriminatory effects on Muslims.
Several protests were held in Assam and Tamil Nadu, where demonstrators expressed their opinions by burning copies of the CAA and raising slogans.The Communist Party of India also joined the opposition, advocating for state-wide protests in Kerala.
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The law has been declared anti-Muslim by several rights groups for excluding the community, raising questions over the secular character of the world’s largest democracy.
Muslim groups fear the government might revoke the citizenship of Muslims without documents in some border states. They are expressing concerns about its discriminatory nature, particularly when combined with a proposed national register of citizens.
The government denies the anti-Muslim accusations, saying it is needed to help minorities facing persecution in Muslim-majority nations.
