Khulakfam Altab Ali
Kshetrigao, Imphal
The CAA, passed by the Indian parliament in December 2019, seeks to grant fast-track citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014 has led to widespread protests in India, starting from northeastern states. And the protest turns into violence and brings more than 50 dead across the country.
The controversial act totally violates article 14, 15 and 21 of Indian constitution and the preamble of India. If the migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh are treated as victims of religious persecution then why the Central govt. ignore Sri-lanka, Myanmar, Bhutan, China in CAA, when many minorities there in these countries are living with hue and cry, why only from three neighboring Islamic countries and why excluding Muslims. The name sake inclusion of Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Buddhist and Jain can neither prove the secularism concept nor hide the hidden agenda of playing religious political game which dream for a Hindustan for Hindu and it clearly shows the intention to isolate.
Since Last week of Feb, the partisanship of the police became clear particularly at the capital of India. They simply looked away and not responding to Muslim pleas for help. They failed to respond on calls for help when Mosque, residential buildings and commercial enterprises were attacked with abandon. Sometimes, there’s direct participation on the violence by police. There are many videos viral in social media about direct attacked by police which are quite egregious. So the violence happening is not a riot between two communities but a pogrom that the BJP Govt. want to bring.
The Hindu deity term known for compassion and considered to be the embodiment of the highest morality and ethics “Jai Shri Ram,” has been weaponized to express muscularity, masculinity, and coercion by BJP politicians and their workers & supporters who are well known for anti-Muslim prejudice and fervor and it has been transformed into a battle cry for the establishment of a Hindu nationalist polity.
The situation of attacked with impunity has questioned by many foreign agencies & international bodies from different angle and discuss at many foreign parliament opposing the Act. United Nations right body UNHRC approached the country’s top court challenging the legislation. It’s so unfortunate for India that UN Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet had filed an intervention application in the supreme court of India in respect of the Citizenship Amendment Act, that CAA would be discriminatory and violates India’s commitments made under international law.
At this point of time Civil society Organisations, Student bodies and other inter-religious networks must wake up and condemn whatever happening against the country’s long preserved tradition of secularism and take the important role in creating bulwarks of resistance and peace as the probability of integrated communities coming apart is much lower than the probability of segregated communities coming apart. And also Media fraternity must be very sensitive to minimize the intensity of the violence by reporting courageously and condemning what it find unacceptable. Politicians must immediately stop igniting the people with isolation into different groups. Workers and supporters must also stop activating storm troopers and stop acting like robot that the politicians are operated with remote control.
People must be very clear with the policy and strategies that dissect the society into different section. Irrespective of caste and community people must join hand together and stand firmly to protect the attack on the spirit of the constitution to redefine the meanings of inclusive nationalism in the future.
