People turned up in large numbers to participate in a protest to oppose the draft of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB). A release from Citizens against CAB termed the Bill as one that “aims to destroy the secular foundations of the country.”
“The Constitution of India guarantees equality before the law and prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. The CAB and proposed all-India NRC will violate this,” the release said.
The protesters claimed that by offering only non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan citizenship, the law “blatantly ignores the plight of persecuted Muslim minorities in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Sri Lankan Tamils, Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, and many other persecuted communities in the region.”
They argue that it also ignores the reality brought out during the NRC exercise in Assam that many poor and vulnerable families lack proper documentation and are being incarcerated for this reason. They also pointed out that women who marry and leave their homes, often with incomplete documentation, have been hit particularly hard, as have displaced communities.
“The government is meant to guard our fundamental rights and make citizens feel secure, but it is leaving them in confusion, making them focus on these issues rather than earning a livelihood,” said one of the protesters.
“CAB and NRC will be costly and cumbersome, impose suffering on crores of people and perpetuate an atmosphere of fear across our country,” the release said, demanding that the Central government not introduce the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Parliament.
