“..the foreign races in Hindusthan must either adopt the Hindu culture and language, must learn to respect and hold in reverence Hindu religion, must entertain no idea but those of the glorification of the Hindu race and culture, i.e., of the Hindu nation and must lose their separate existence to merge in the Hindu race, or may stay in the country, wholly subordinated to the Hindu Nation, claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, far less any preferential treatment -not even citizen’s rights”, said Golwalkar in his We or our Nationhood Defined (Golwalkar). Golwalkar was the second chief and ideologue of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a hardline, supremacist organization, which is the ideological parent of BJP .This is the foundational principle underlying the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, which allows accelerated naturalization to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to get citizenship of India, that the current BJP government has hastily pushed through, sparking country-wide protests and palpable anxiety. As is clear from the ideas of Golwalkar, ‘Hindu race’ is supreme in India and whoever does not belong to the Hindu race stands to lose even citizenship rights. The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, which embodies this premise of Golwalkar, is also a knee jerk reaction of the BJP to suit its politics in retrospect of the disaster of NRC in Assam.

In order to understand the intent and import of this Act, it will be useful to trace the inconsistent positions of the BJP over the years. Its position at different times makes it clear that BJP never had a well thought-out, consistent stand on CAA but has brought it in merely for its political exigencies. This can be explained by taking into account that the crux of the CAA is giving citizenship to the “persecuted” Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains from the three stated countries. This is quite contradictory to the long held political position of the BJP. The BJP, without making any distinction on basis of religion (Hindus or Muslims), have always maintained that illegal immigrants are a threat to the identity and economy of India, and especially Assam. Assam, which has a porous border with Bangladesh, may have had both, Hindu and Muslim immigrants who came to India for better economic opportunities. It is difficult to determine who is a persecuted Hindu. Besides, the BJP never cared to find out how many immigrants had grounds for persecution and who they were.

In 2008, during the UPA government at the Centre, Mr. Advani, BJP’s foremost leader, had vehemently mounted a scathing attack on the then government for not tackling the influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh, which was altering the demography of Assam. So strong was his concern, that he warned, “Assam as a whole today is fighting for survival. And the threat to its survival has come from a flood of illegal migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh. If this flood is not controlled, Assam will face extinction under the inundation caused by foreigners” (Economic Times, 2008). He went on to claim that there were over 3.5 million Bangladeshi illegal migrants in India, which was aggravating terrorism here (Times of India, 2008). Here, too, no distinction was made between Hindus and Muslims, nor was persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh mentioned. This is not the only figure available, of the illegal immigrants. Murli Manohar Joshi, once, claimed that there were 1.7 crore Bangladeshi infiltrators in India and most of them were in Kishenganj. It is interesting to note that at that time, the entire population of Kishenganj was 15 lakhs only (Engineer & Dalwai, 1995).

This points towards two things. For one, the BJP leaders had no data to prove their incredulous claims, which were not logical. Arbitrary figures were given in public domain by them to create paranoia against immigrants, and this made them popular in Assam. Secondly, over a period of time, they insinuated and popularized the narrative that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh is coterminous with Muslims. Thus, they wanted everyone to believe that all illegal immigrants were Muslims. In fact, they made a distinction- Muslim immigrants were called “infiltrators”, connoting aggression and sense of animosity, while Hindu immigrants were called “refugees” (Engineer & Dalwai, Immigrants in Bombay: A Fact Finding Report, 1995). It was not proven by any credible data that the Hindu immigrants were, in any way, refugees, and not just immigrants who had migrated for livelihood, like the Muslim immigrants. This resentment towards illegal migrants is shared by the current Home Minister, Amit Shah who said, “…illegal immigrants are like termites. They are eating the grain that should go to the poor, they are taking our jobs” (The Hindu, 2019). It is, then ironical that Amit Shah would want to flood the whole country with immigrants.

The Central government had exempted the migrants from adverse penal consequences of the Passport Act 1920 and the Foreigners Act, 1946 (which requires that undocumented immigrants prove their citizenship) through notifications in 2015 and 2016. This, also, made them eligible for long term visa to stay in India. In effect, this provided a solution to the immigrants, if they were really persecuted, to avoid punishment and allowed them a wide range of rights, barring a few like the right to vote or to hold political and constitutional post. If this was the case, it makes one wonder what was the need for this amendment in 2019, unless vote bank politics was the motive by giving the immigrants voting rights. This is the same vote bank politics that BJP accuses the Congress of but it itself indulges in this very cleverly.

In its political manifesto of 2014, BJP mentioned that addressing the issue of infiltration and illegal immigrants in the Northeast was its priority. And to address this concern, it wanted to review and improve the border management. It promised punitive measures to check illegal immigration. At the same time, it mentioned in the same manifesto that “India shall remain a natural home for persecuted Hindus and they shall be welcome to seek refuge here”. But here clearly, the intent of the BJP is to foment discontent in Assam against Bengali-speaking Hindus and Muslims and push for instruments like NRC, targeting Muslims who the BJP believes to be “foreigners” and “infiltrators”. There was no specific concern about the refugees of the abovementioned religions while dealing with the problem of the so-called infiltration from the east.

In July 2018, when the draft list of the NRC was published which excluded 4 million residents, a large number of them being Hindus caught unwittingly in the process of hounding out the Muslims, the BJP had to start thinking of ways in which to protect the citizenship of the excluded Hindus, which forms its political support base. This is when the idea of Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 started to be pushed aggressively. This perhaps explains that BJP, for the first time, stated in clear and unambiguous terms in its election manifesto its intent to propose the Citizenship amendment Bill as we know it today. At the end of August 2019, when the final NRC list was published leaving out 1.9 million, again most of them Hindus, the scramble to introduce the Bill and get it passed accelerated.

The BJP, in the face strong protests by students and from other quarters, is reiterating that the CAA, in no way, targets Muslims in India. However, CAA cannot be viewed in isolation and has to be examined and analysed in the light of the announcement of the ruling dispensation that NRC will be implemented throughout the country. In its support, it argues that Bangladeshi illegal immigrants are spread throughout India. But, fearing the repeat of the NRC experience in Assam, which now the BJP has disowned in some way, the CAA is the backdoor entry for those Hindus likely to be excluded from the NRC process. Its intent is to exclude Muslims and strip them of their citizenship. Though the Muslims under different regimes in India have been discriminated against and were victims of communal violence – in fact, for all practical purposes, they were treated as secondary citizens of India, this is a concerted institutionalized attempt to strip them of their very citizenship.

If BJP is rolling out the NRC throughout the country then there are lessons to be drawn from the NRC process in Assam. The NRC process in Assam, having its roots in the simmering conflicts spanning decades, was a result of the opposition to migration, especially of Bengali-speaking Hindus and Muslims, which, over time, metamorphosed into opposition to Bangladeshi immigrants and all Muslims. Muslims were the primary targets, which manifested itself in the Nellie massacre. The NRC process, which required all the residents to produce a complicated labyrinth of documents of many generations of their family to prove that they are citizens of India, brought unspeakable misery to the Assamese. Apart from the colossal INR 1200 crores estimated spent on the exercise to eventually “identify” 1.9 million ‘foreigners’ – when exaggerated numbers of immigrants where pulled out of the hat without proper data – the human cost is criminal.

The fact finding mission in Assam, which the author was part of, witnessed and spoke to many college professors and teachers who were deployed over many years, some for 15 years till retirement, in the process of NRC. While education of an entire new generation of citizens took a backseat, the entire human resource was deployed in the machinery of NRC. The pervading paranoia and arbitrary exclusion on mere spelling mistakes or technical errors in the documents of the residents led to innocents committing suicides or being sent to detention centres, which for all practical purposes are like prisons. Innocent lives were upturned, leading to tearing apart of families, prospects of life in detention centres and loss of financial and mental wellbeing. The poor and illiterate had to queue up to supplicate before the authorities to include them in the NRC. Maintaining documents in a flood ravaged state is not easy and the Adivasis have no concept of documents to prove that the land they live on is theirs for generations. There are still remote areas which don’t even have hospitals to issue birth certificates.

An all India NRC would be many times worse. The NRC in the state of Assam alone required the involvement of over 50,000 government employees and cost more than Rs. 1,200 crore. This is a state that has less than 3% of the country’s total population (Shrivastava, 2019). One cannot even imagine the funds required to carry it out throughout India. This massive amount spent on this exercise, which is based on unsubstantiated and exaggerated fear and suspicion, will drive the entire country to a new level of paranoia. The poor and dispossessed will be supplicants before the authorities and at their mercy. Ironically, the very Hindus, who the CAA is supposed to protect, will be those queuing up in large numbers. If they want to protect their citizenship through CAA, they will have to prove persecution from one of the three neighbouring countries mentioned in the Act, which is almost impossible. Rightful citizens will have to declare themselves foreigners or refugees first. Thus, the NRC will spare nobody, though the Muslims will face brute open discrimination. All communities are at a risk of being stripped off their citizenship, as witnessed in Assam. The hardships are unimaginable.

How does CAA, coupled with the NRC, affect the country on a whole? These two instruments will change the paradigm of citizenship in India. So far, the citizenship of India was based on the principle of jus soli, which means acquiring citizenship of the country by virtue of being born there. The Citizenship Act, 1955 provided for all born on or before 1st July, 1987 being Indian citizens. Subsequently, citizenship can be acquired by descent, where one has to prove that one of their parents was a citizen of India. However, with CAA and NRC, the shift is towards the principle of jus sanguinis or blood system. By stating that India is the natural home for Hindus all over the world, the idea of Golwalkar that Hindus alone will enjoy all rights in India takes shape. This idea is similar to that of Israel, which calls Jews all over the world as its citizens. This goes against the very grain of multicultural societies, where people of different religions co-exist with equality. It, also, goes against the tenet of equality enshrined in our constitution, which ensures no discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, creed or gender. This is a change in the very idea of India. India was founded on the principle of composite nationalism, where citizens belonging to all faiths enjoyed the same citizenship rights. Their religion did not determine their citizenship. This is a dangerous turn to ethno-nationalism in Indian history, which will bring violence and unrest in the future.

The government reiterates that this Act only seeks to give refuge to those persecuted in the countries having a specific state religion. It is important to point out that, as much as we appreciate the humanitarian gesture of the government, the purpose of the Act will be lost if India is unable to provide refuge to all the other persecuted minorities in other neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, which gives a special position to Buddhism in its Constitution, leading to reports of discrimination against Tamils and Muslims, or even Bhutan and Nepal, which have state religions. These inconsistencies along with its knee jerk design to protect its constituency, which votes it to power, makes its nefarious attempt very clear.

Today the country is burning in the face of brute power and arrogance of the ruling dispensation, which is pushing through an Act that was passed with no consultation and democratic spirit. Earlier, the ruling dispensation allowed issues like cow vigilantism, “love jihad”, ghar wapsi to foster hatred and ‘othering’ of Muslims and other vulnerable communities. This act is just another instrument to further this agenda. By all means, it will not be the last one. The Act betrays India and flays its soul by hurtling it down into the abyss of uncertainty, anxieties and injustice, knowing well the consequences of such acts. This ill-thought out and ill-intentioned Citizenship Amendment Act, and the imminent NRC that the Home Minister threatens the country with, has brought this country to the verge of unrest, which the world is taking notice of. The defiant government, which is turning a blind eye to protests, and the disproportionate force the protests are handled with, is giving a message that it cares less about democracy and is bent on redefining India, which will completely normalize bigotry and render its own millions of citizens stateless, in its thirst for power and its pursuit of the ideology of Hindu Rashtra. This Act, coupled with NRC, is unmistakably the first concrete step towards the cherished dream of BJP’s ideological parent, RSS. Unfortunately, the ruling party does not care if it is at loggerheads with the idea of India itself, and its long-cherished dream.

(Secular Perspective December 16-31, 2019)

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5. An all-India NRC, coupled with CAB aims to threaten, destabilise & stigmatise Indian Muslims: Arundhati Roy

The post Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019: The Fire that consumes India appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has now become a national issue, not just staying limited to Assam. The students of Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMIU) and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) who came out in protest to oppose the anti-constitutional CAA were heckled, beaten up and brutally injured have now found solidarity in the influential Bollywood industry who has now asked people to take to the streets and come together to condemn the violence of the police against the students and raise their voice against the undemocratic CAA.

1. Farhan Akhtar

Here’s what you need to know about why these protests are important. See you on the 19th at August Kranti Maidan, Mumbai. The time to protest on social media alone is over. pic.twitter.com/lwkyMCHk2v

— Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) December 18, 2019

2. Neeraj Ghaywan  

Mumbai, be there!

August Kranti Maidan is the same place where Mahatama Gandhi issued the Quit India speech on 8th August, 1942. pic.twitter.com/7EqIi1duf4

— Neeraj Ghaywan (@ghaywan) December 17, 2019

3.  Swara Bhasker

The venue for the 19th December peaceful protest against #CitizenshipAmmendmentAct has changed and is now AUGUST KRANTI MAIDAAN.
Time : 4pm
Date: 19the December 2019
Stand up for India, Mumbai! ?? pic.twitter.com/H0C2VIJAFI

— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) December 17, 2019

4.  Konkona Sensharma

pic.twitter.com/Gn9fXhUTdJ

— Konkona Sensharma (@konkonas) December 17, 2019

5.  Kunal Kamra

#MumbaiAgainstCAB pic.twitter.com/6IXibSV8Av

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) December 18, 2019

6.  Aditi Mittal

19th December. August Kranti Maidan. #Mumbai https://t.co/PRNmHSjggI

— aditi mittal (@awryaditi) December 18, 2019

7.  Anurag Kashyap

Let’s meet for a peaceful protest on 19th https://t.co/Xp6CXNFnVh

— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) December 17, 2019

8.  Reema Kagti

The venue for the protest march on the 19th in Mumbai has changed to August Kranti Maidan. Be there and be counted. pic.twitter.com/M7CVlKEewO

— Reema Kagti (@kagtireema) December 17, 2019

9.  Caralisa Moteiro

For that DM’d

19th December ( Tomorrow)
4pm
August Kranti Maidan.

Be there ! pic.twitter.com/NmLTVvs44f

— Caralisa Monteiro (@runcaralisarun) December 18, 2019

10.  Onir

#CAAProtest 19th Dec 4pm to 7 pm . August Kranti Maidan pic.twitter.com/IpFEpBr8wC

— Onir (@IamOnir) December 18, 2019

11.  Nikhil Advani

Come on #Mumbai Let’s show everyone that we are more than just glitz, glamour and paparazzi sightings. Come out in numbers and show that #YouStandWithIndia #IStandWithIndia pic.twitter.com/IiZFmxo0VM

— Nikkhil Advani (@nikkhiladvani) December 17, 2019
 

The #MumbaiAgainstCAB movement to take place at the August Kranti Maidan at 4 PM on December 19, 2019. Celebrities, young and old, have voiced their support in the favour of students who have been silenced violently by the state. The anti-CAA agitation is one of the first movements in recent times that the Bollywood industry is throwing its weight after. Not only this is a positive push towards encouraging the general public, but also a welcome move to see that some of these celebs are not scared to value their country and its secularism over the fear of the loss of their privilege.
 

Related:

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The post Bollywood’s clarion call against the CAA and police brutality on students appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Thousands of Mumbaikars are expected to gather at August Kranti Maidan, the historic site from where the Quit India movement began in 1942, to voice their dissent against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

This is going to be the third such major protest in Mumbai after the ones that took place at the Mumbai University and Carter Road. The crowd at August Kranti Maidan here is expected to surpass any at similar protests given how this is the first time coalition partners Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena are expected to make a joint appearance. Momentum has been building on various social media platforms for days. Organisers had initially sought permission for Girgaum Chaowpaty as the venue of the protest, but police denied permission.

Fearing an escalation of violence like that at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) protest, where university authorities alleged that many non-students, outsiders and vested interests had infiltrated the protest, the Mumbai police is apprehensive of something similar taking place, and is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the protest remains peaceful. Several companies of the Riot Police and the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) have been pressed into service. An officer told Indian Express, “Drones will be deployed to check if anyone tries to cause any damage. A team will be scanning through the footage and as soon as anything suspicious is found, the officers on ground would be informed about the same.” Special traffic and parking arrangements have also been made. A Mumbai Police press note detailing the same may be viewed here:

And protests have only intensified across India. After the protest in Patna on Sunday, many similar protests have taken place in other areas of Bihar such as Purnia, Nalanda, Banka, Kishanganj, Araria and Siwan. A bandh or shut down call has been given across Bihar today. Permissions for large gatherings have been denied in many parts of Uttar Pradesh. A protest call has been given by the Samajwadi party. Meanwhile, prohibitory orders have been issued across Karnataka till December 21. The decision was taken in wake of fresh anti-CAA protests erupting across the state. Police have also denied permission for protest march planned from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Metro trains will also not halt at many railway stations near areas such as Red Fort, Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk.

Meanwhile, NDTV reports that two students; Ajaz, a 22-year-old BA student, and Shoaib Khan, a 23-year-old student of Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMIU) have sustained bullet injuries. This debunks the Delhi police’s claim of exercising maximum restraint. Delhi remained on the edge after thousands clashed with the police during the protest at Seelampur two days ago.

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Assam has witnessed severe socio-political turbulence in the past week. Media houses have been attacked, universities students have been assaulted and detained. Four people have, reportedly, died due to police brutality so far, and many more have been injured. Peasant leader and advisor to Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, Akhil Gogoi, has been charged under the draconian UAPA. But what is noteworthy, is the administration’s commitment to showcase how “everything is normal” while something is clearly rotten in the state of Assam.

Today, the Assam police issued a statement thanking the people of Assam for following the spirit of law. Jitendra Singh, MoS, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region also said, “Now the situation is normal as compared to earlier. It is true that in the first two days some incidences of violence took place but the relaxation in curfew, that too on the demand of public clearly shows that situation is fast returning to normal.”

Meanwhile, curfew has been relaxed all over the State of Assam. While the capital city is seeing a curfew from 9pm to 6 am, Other cities like Dibrugarh and Jorhat have been imposed with a longer curfew of 11 hours, from 7 pm to 6 am. Other areas also experiencing similar curfew at night situation. Internet services are reportedly, going to remain unavialable till the end of this week.

Voices not silenced

While things are returning back to ‘normalcy’, the protests are still persisting. People are making their voices heard by going on hunger strikes as well. Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) is holding hunger strike for 36 hrs to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Even AASU had held a hunger strike for a day in protest at the Chandmari ground in Guwahati, Assam. While the hunger strike ended within a day, the protest is still going on there, and many celebrities in Assam have rendered support for the same.

Arrests and Detentions

In this background, 1,406 people have been detained by the police while 175 people have been arrested. Among the people arrested, is a prominent personality of Assam, Akhil Gogoi who is a President of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), has been arrested by the National Investigation Agency and has been charged under the newly amended UAPA (Unlawful Assembly Prevention Act). While he was arrested on December 12 itself, the charges under UAPA were invoked on Saturday evening. Through this law, the government is empowered to designate an individual as a terrorsit, without giving the person an opportunity to be heard, before making such designation. The arrest was made on the allegations that KMSS which was formed in 2009, was formed in association with the Revolutionary Communist Centre which then later started working with Maoist Communist Centre. It has been alleged that KMSS is the front organization these two banned organizations.

Political instability

Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) received a lot of flak for continuing its support to the BJP. A lot of party workers at the lower rung and the people of Assam who support the AGP, had protested against AGP’s continuing support for BJP. AGP is an ally of the BJP in the state of Assam and has 3 Ministers in the state cabinet.

One wonders if these fragmented votes had opposed earlier, BJP would not have been able to pass the bill in the upper house, where it depended heavily on its allies for a majority vote. AGP’s former leader, Brindaban Goswami spoke against the party’s support of BJP and called for resignation of Rajya Sabha member of AGP and also the resignation of the three state Ministers of AGP as a show of protest and withdrawal of support. While there were signs of dissent within the party, the Party has now taken a united stand against CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act).

Keshab Mahanta, the Water Resources Minister in Assam stated that NDA had not issued any whip as claimed by Birendra Prasad Baishya to vote in support of the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

The post 175 arrested, over 1400 detained: Assam gov’t says ‘All is Well’ appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Violent clashes erupted when students of Jamia Milia Islamia University (JMIU) broke cordon and tried to scale barricades after police denied them the right to protest peacefully.

The protest call had been given by Jamia Teachers Union and hundreds of students turned up to participate in a march to the Parliament. But the police placed barricades near the Jamia stadium gate and did not allow the protestors to move forward. That’s when clashes broke out with many students attempting to climb and jump over the barricades. Students also allegedly pelted stones at the police.

During the clashes, police allegedly brutally attacked the protesters with lathis and even lobbed tear gas shells. Even though the justification given for the lathi charge was crown control, videos emerged on social media showing how in many instances police beat up students without provocation. 

This is happening in Delhi right now. Video by my colleague @journoshivs pic.twitter.com/vuSn4EVI1Q

— Rahul Sabharwal (@rubberneckin) December 13, 2019

In other videos, police personnel can be seen manhandling protesters including young women students.

#NewsAlert – Jamia students take to streets against CAB.@Zebaism with details.#CABPassed pic.twitter.com/08mPtyWkij

— News18 (@CNNnews18) December 13, 2019

Sources familiar with the developments told Sabrang India that many students had been injured with some sustaining serious head injuries. Many students were detained. Sources also told us that by shortly after 4:30 PM the entire Jamia Nagar neighbourhood had been surrounded by the police and even people living in far off neighbourhoods like Manzil Colony and Noor Nagar could hear tear gas shells.

The clashes let to a temporary shut down of Metro rail services at a few stations. Trains did not halt at Patel Chowk and Janpath, but services resumed later.

Security Update

As advised by Delhi Police, entry & exit at Patel Chowk and Janpath have been closed. Trains will not be halting at these stations.

— Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (@OfficialDMRC) December 13, 2019

According to the Delhi Traffic Police, traffic movement was also affected on both carriageways from Jamia to Sukhdev Vihar and from Mathura Road to Sarai Jullena.

The post Police lathi-charge students at Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in Delhi appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Abdur Rahman, senior IPS officer, resigned from his post as Special Inspector General of Police (IGP), State Human Rights Commission of Maharashtra on Wednesday. He cited his opposition of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) as the reason for quitting his post.

In a letter addressed to the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department of Maharashtra on Twitter, Rahman requests that his either accept his application filed under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) that had been rejected by the MHA, or consider the letter as his resignation. Rahman tweeted a copy of the letter that may be viewed here.

Though the letter to the Chief Secretary does not mention the reason for leaving as an act of civil disobedience against CAB, his tweet accompanying the letter says so.

Announcing his resignation on Twitter Rahman said, “The #CitizenshipAmendmentBill2019 is against the basic feature of the Constitution. I condemn this Bill. In civil disobedience I have decided not attend office from tomorrow. I am finally quitting the service.”

He added, “This Bill is against the religious pluralism of India. I request all justice loving people to oppose the bill in a democratic manner. It runs against the very basic feature of the Constitution.”

He also wrote an open letter to his fellow citizens explaining his objection to CAB. He wrote, “It (CAB) runs against the religious pluralism and spirit of tolerance of the Indian nation. If implemented it will destroy the brotherhood and common fabric among people.”

This Bill is against the religious pluralism of India. I request all justice loving people to oppose the bill in a democratic manner. It runs against the very basic feature of the Constitution. @ndtvindia@IndianExpress #CitizenshipAmendmentBill2019 pic.twitter.com/1ljyxp585B

— Abdur Rahman (@AbdurRahman_IPS) December 11, 2019

Rahman is an IPS officer from the 1999 batch of Maharashtra cadre and the author of the book Denial and Deprivation: Indian Muslim’s After the Sachar Committee and Rangnath Mishra Commission Reports.

The post Calls for Civil Disobedience against CAB appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) recently took to social media to release a series of “Myth Busters” related to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) that was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday night. The PIB works under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and disseminates information about the policies, decisions & programs of the Government of India. Naturally, it is expected that the PIB puts out news that shows the government in good light and highlights all the achievements of the government.

However, the government took it one step forward and issued a series a posts that would influence general public and effectively show the dissenters in bad light. The ‘myths’ that the PIB attempts to bust in these posts, amount to little more than the government’s propaganda, an attempt to stifle criticism and generate public support for this anti-secular agenda.  Here’s a closer look at these “facts”, where it becomes evident that there is little more to the “myth-busters” than being a devious ploy to mislead people.

Myth No. 1: CAB will provide citizenship to Bengali Hindus

PIB’s explanation

PIB states that government has proposed the CAB on extremely humanitarian grounds, as these minorities had fled from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh due to persecution on grounds of their religion and CAB is merely an enabling legislation and does not automatically confer citizenship.

The real deal

While, the latter part of the above explanation is technically correct, but fails to address crucial issues. Bengali Hindus are also Hindus and the bill categorically and specifically states that it will grant citizenship to Hindus (and other non-Muslim communities) even if they are illegal migrants. This is in fact one of the reasons why there is so much turmoil in Assam right now as the provisions of CAB appear to negate the provisions of the 1985 Assam Accord that deals with the influx of all ‘foreigners’ from Bangladesh.

Myth No. 2: CAB dilutes ‘Assam Accord’

PIB’s explanation

This one is a rather bold explanation given by PIB. It says, “CAB does not dilute the sanctity of Assam Accord as far as the cut-off date of March 24, 1971, stipulated for detection / deportation of illegal immigrants, is concerned’.

The real deal

This is patently untrue as the Assam Accord makes provisions of Bengali refugees who arrived before the cut-off date of March 24, 1971 when the war began. But CAB proposes to naturalise even those who came after this cut-off and kept arriving till December 31, 2014. The concerns of the Assam Accord is not along communal lines, and granting Bengali Hindus citizenship defeats the whole purpose of the Assam Accord.

Myth No. 3

CAB is against the interest of indigenous people of Assam

PIB’s explanation

PIB says that CAB is not centred around Assam and is applicable to the whole country. It further states, “CAB is definitely not against National Register od Citizens/NRC, which is being updated to protect indigenous communities from illegal immigrants.”

The real deal

This is just another attempt to first single out only Muslim migrants as illegal and then pit indigenous communities against them. This is a chilling callback to the 1983 Nellie massacre where indigenous tribals attacked and killed Muslim villagers in large numbers.

Myth No. 4

CAB will lead to domination of Bengali speaking people

PIB’s explanation

“Most of the Hindu Bengali population is settled in Barak valley of Assam, where Bengali is declared the 2^nd state language. In Brahmaputra Valley, Hindu Bengalis are settled in isolated pockets and have adapted themselves to Assamese language.”

The real deal

Again, while on the surface, the response is factual it fails to address deeper concerns about the changes in demography. Comparing the census data of 2001 and 2011, Assamese share in population grew by 16.03% while the share of Bengali speaking population grew by 22.89%. Where the Bengali Hindus live in the state is hardly the point.

Myth No. 5

Bengali Hindus will become a burden for Assam

PIB’s explanation

PIB states that ‘persons facing religious persecution’ are settled in other parts of the country as well and not just Assam and CAB is applicable to the whole country.

The real deal

Firstly, the government has assumed for all intents and purposes that all illegal immigrants have come to India only because they have faced religious persecution in their home country while one of the main reasons for migration is economic. Ethno-linguistic chauvinist groups in Assam have always maintained that the influx of Bengali Hindus have taken away economic opportunities in the state. Therefore, merely saying CAB affects the rest of the country as well is so consolation to these groups, whose contention whether right or wrong, cannot be ignored given how they were and still are at the forefront of demonstrations against any influx of Bengali migrants, Hindu or Muslim.

Myth No. 6

CAB will trigger fresh migration of Hindus from Bangladesh

PIB’s explanation

PIB claims that most of the minorities have already migrated out of Bangladesh and large-scale migration is a remote possibility. It also claims that scale of atrocities on minorities in Bangladesh has been reducing. It also mentions the cut-off date is 31^st December 2014 for granting citizenship and hence immigrants entering after that date will not get benefit of the law.

The real deal

While prima facie, this is also factual, it fails to take into account the persecution of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh after 2014. If CAB is based on compassionate and humanitarian grounds, what’s stopping it from accepting these persecuted Hindus? Reports suggest that Bangladesh’s census of 2011 Hindus population there is at 8.5% which is still the largest minority group in Bangladesh. There were also reports that in 2018, 1,792 persecutions took place on minorities in 11 months in Bangladesh, as claimed by Hindu Alliance.

Myth No. 7

CAB is a ploy to grab tribal land by accommodating Hindu Bengalis

PIB’s explanation

PIB claims that Hindus Bengalis are settled away from tribal belts and blocks and also CAB does not contradict any laws for protection of tribal lands. It also states that CAB is not applicable in ILP (Inner Line Permit) and 6^th schedule areas

The real deal

The government has not revealed what its actual plan of action is when it comes to application of CAB and eventually the nationwide NRC that will also cover Assam. There have also been protests by the tribals across the country about ineffective and in some states non-implementation of the Forest Rights Act. Hence, the concerns of the tribals cannot be disregarded completely.

Myth No. 8

CAB is discriminatory against Muslims

PIB’s explanation

PIB states that any foreigner of any religion and any country can apply for citizenship in India as per other provisions of Citizenship Act. It states that CAB is only an enabling legislation providing citizenship to 6 minority communities if they meet the criteria.

The real deal

The main contention against CAB is that it specifically excludes Muslims. The fact that Muslims can apply through other provisions of the act is no compensation for the fact that CAB is discriminatory and allows people of 6 faiths, except Muslims to get citizenship in India and it remains a fact that Muslim migrants will be labelled as illegal migrants while migrants from the other 6 communities will not. That in itself makes CAB discriminatory against Muslims.

Related:

PIB’s #MythBuster attempt busted
Assam engulfed in smoke as protests rage on
Massive Protests against CAB in Aligarh
Calls for Civil Disobedience against CAB
Citizenship Amendment Bill: Unconstitutional and Divisive

The post PIB’s CAB #MythBuster attempt busted appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Fresh protests have erupted in Assam over the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) that was passed by the Lok Sabha and was tabled in the Rajya Sabha today. On Tuesday, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) had called for an 11-hour ‘bandh’ which saw thousands coming out in agitation against the Bill.

On Wednesday, as protestors took to the streets in a new spirit, large parts of the North East simmered in agitation. Though no organisation had called for a bandh on Wednesday, the people of Assam came out in large numbers in Jorhat, Golaghat, Dibrugarh, Bongaigon, Nagaon and Sonitpur among several other districts to raise their voice against the Centre’s decision of making the CAB a law.

Zamser Ali, senior journalist with Sabrang India who is stationed in Assam, reports that the agitation in Assam yesterday stretched into the wee hours of the night. Last night at around 11 PM, a gathering of around 20,000 people mobilized to protest against the bill. On Wednesday, a new wave of protests began at around 7 AM starting at Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur and Jorhat spreading to the innermost interiors of the state. There has been no area in Assam where people haven’t joined in the protest against CAB.

The protests today have been unorganized and not called for by any union or political party. The situation at the moment is sensitive and even a small gathering of people is gaining momentum becoming a reflection of their anger against the CAB that is a looming threat on their identity. One of the biggest protests was witnessed at Cotton University and Handique Girls’ College (the first women’s college in Assam) with around 20,000 students marching to Ganeshguri near the Assam Secretariat.

The police resorted to lathi charge and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the protestors grievously injuring several students. Our journalist who was also a victim of tear gas shelling reported that the shelling was so intense that nothing was visible and protestors had to retreat to save themselves from the same. They re-grouped a few kilometers away from Ganeshguri where they had retreated to only begin the agitation again by shouting anti-CAB slogans for an hour. As things calmed down, they resumed their march and reached the Assam Secretariat with their agitation once again.

Last night, female police officials had been roped in to control women protestors and had also assaulted them during the ongoing protests. In the protests on Wednesday, no female police officials were present in the units deployed and the male police was seen trying to push back women protestors. One of the policemen grievously injured a female student. In Bokul, Dibrugarh, a woman has allegedly lost her life due to police firing that was done to control the protestors. Another woman was injured in the lathi charge after the police personnel allegedly hit her on her head. She is suspected to have succumbed to her injuries.

The police have also not been given orders to peacefully tackle the mob and they’re arbitrarily attacking protestors knowing they will be awarded impunity for the same.

No political party, leaders or unions have forth either to express solidarity or to pacify the raging mob. Even unions like the AASU and Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP) who were part of the agitation yesterday, have distanced themselves from the protests today, making the people the face of the agitation. Even Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) leader Akhil Gogoi had yesterday announced that the battle now was the people’s to take further.

A curfew has been imposed in Dibrugarh and as the protests are turning critical, two army columns have been deployed in Tripura and Assam in Kanchanpur and Dhalai respectively. A third column has been requisitioned by the Bongaigon Deputy Commissioner in Assam. News reports coming in from different sources say that army deployed in Dibrugarh has been called back as the situation calmed down. Yesterday, section 144 was imposed in Assam and an internet ban was imposed in Tripura which was to last 48 hours.

Traffic in the state has come to a standstill and protests are still continuing even with the brutal measures of the state government to quell the agitation by bringing in the Army and resorting to violence against protestors.

The CAB is currently under debate in the Rajya Sabha with parties opposing it questioning the BJP government about the religious classification peg and why it has singled out some communities from the countries it has mentioned in the Bill. The Bill is seen not only as a tool to increase BJP’s vote bank but to intrinsically change the secular demography of India. Assam, that is already reeling under the aftermath of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is now facing another identity crisis in the name of the CAB.

Related:

Anti- CAB protest continues in Assam, Quick Response Team called in Dibrugarh
48-hr Mobile Internet Ban as NE boils Over Citizenship Amendment Bill: Tripura
Citizenship Amendment Bill passes, but what does this mean?
CAB tabled in LokSabha
Anti CAB Protests Rock the North East

The post Students injured, army called in as anti-CAB stir intensifies in Assam appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In what could be viewed as muscle-flexing by the State to censor its criticism by opposition parties, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu temporarily suspended telecast of house proceedings just when opposition parties took offence to statements made by Home Minister Amit Shah about Assam.

At 12:20 PM Shah started speaking about Assam. He said, “As far as Assam is concerned, I want to put forth a hard truth before the house. In 1985, then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi signed the Assam Accord. As per clause six of the accord government was to protect the identity, language, culture and representation of the people of Assam. The government was to set up a committee under clause 6 to look into this. But this committee was not made until Narendra Modi came to power.” Shah went on to invoke the martyrs of the Assam agitation saying, “We believe that the sacrifices of the martyrs should not go in vain. Which is why we will bring the real solution to Assam’s problems. This is why we have created a clause 6 committee that also includes members of AASU (the organization at the forefront of the Assam agitation) and Asom Gana Parishad.”

This led to vociferous retaliation from the opposition benches. “This is misleading. There is no need for committee for clause 6,” said Ripun Bora of the Congress, fact checking Amit Shah. Clause 6 of the Assam Accord says, “Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.” Nowhere does it mention requirement for formation of any committee.

But Naidu asked him to sit down claiming he was misbehaving. Naidu further ordered, “This will not go on record. Nothing should be shown.” But Bora kept drawing attention to clause 5 instead of clause 6, as it is the various provisions of clause 5 that deal with questions about the influx of foreigners. Shortly after this telecast of proceedings was suspended and the screen simply read, “Telecast of proceedings of Rajya Sabha to resume shortly.” A few minutes later, when proceedings resumed, the commotion had died down.

As all records of what transpired in the interim are unavailable, it is difficult to say whether the concerns raised by Borah were addressed. What is undeniable though is how at the slightest indication of contradiction, dissent or criticism, the state was quick to exercise censorship. And there will be many who will invariably engage in ‘whataboutery’ citing censorship during the Emergency. However, the bigger questions remain:

• Is the successor entitled to repeat the sins of the predecessor? 
• Do two wrongs make a right? 
• If Indira Gandhi abused power and brought about censorship, is the Modi-Shah regime entitled to perpetuate this cycle of abuse? 
• Is this the advent of a totalitarian regime that will shut down and censor all criticism and dissent?

The post Opposition questions Amit Shah’s submission on Assam, RS telecast temporarily suspended appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Watch Dibrugarh Protest Video here.

Meanwhile, in Ganeshguri and Bhangagarh areas of Guwahati, massive youth rallies and large scale protests  have been staged. 

Massive Protest staged in Guwahati early this morning

The youth showing ‘NO CAB’ placards while the Police surrounds

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