'CAA, NRC will lead to persecution of Muslim community'

Leading law school alumni seek investigation into police brutalities across the country

Activists hold placards as they stage a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, in New Delhi.

Over 500 members of the legal fraternity, who are alumni of the National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata, have issued a signed statement expressing opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019, saying the CAA coupled with the National Citizens Register (NRC) would lead to the persecution of several segments of the population, most notably the Muslim community excluded from the new citizenship law.

The university is one of the leading national law schools in the country. The alumni petition, the statement said, was framed after discussions among lawyers with diverse backgrounds, from those in law firms, academia, policy and litigation.

It called for an investigation into the police brutalities across the country especially in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. “As Indian citizens and members of the legal fraternity, we feel compelled to put forth this statement in opposition of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the atrocities that have been perpetrated post its enactment,” the petition said.

It said though the CAA was enacted to remove the hurdles for granting citizenship to persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists and Parsis, who have arrived from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh prior to December 31, 2014, its “potential impact” on many other communities which may “struggle with documentation” cannot be overstated.

“The collective impact of the CAA and NRC threatens the very fabric of India. It runs afoul of our constitutional principles, our obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the cornerstone of international refugee law — the principle of non-refoulement. We view the CAA and its implementation with a strong sense of foreboding — one that may polarise our beloved nation beyond repair,” the petition said.

The petition said the signatories do not condone violence in the anti-CAA protests but condemn the “brutality and disproportionate force” used by law enforcement authorities to muzzle dissent, particularly in educational institutions.