Modi enacts contentious law for granting citizenship to non-Muslim Pakistanis

Ahead of general elections in India, BJP-led Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has notified the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) which was aimed at depriving millions of Indian Muslims of their citizenship rights.

India government’s move came weeks ahead of general elections as Indian PM Narendra Modi was seeking third term.

The Citizenship Amendment Act would also help non-Muslims minorities who claim persecution on religious grounds in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to acquire citizenship in India.

It will support the asylum claims filed by Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Buddhists, Jains and Christians from India’s neighboring countries who fled to the Hindu-majority India before 2015 — but not Muslims.

At the same time Citizenship Amendment Act has allowed Indian government to cancel the citizenship of Muslims in the pretext of lack of documents. This Act has jeopardized the citizenship of millions of Muslims who were living near Bangladesh border. That was the why then Bangladeshis government raised concerned when this law was being passed from Indian parliament in 2019.

Human rights organizations have termed the enactment of controversial bill as anti-Muslim.

Rights activists say a law that uses religion as a criteria for citizenship violates the concept of secularism embraced by India’s founders. There were fears among Indian Muslims that under contentious law Hindutva government was making efforts to strip citizenship from Muslims in India who lack documents.

However, Modi’s government announcement drew praise and cheers from Hindu nationalist groups in India and abroad. Hindu nationalists groups including RSS and others hail the law terming it a right step in making India a sanctuary for Hindus.

It was pertinent to mention that four years back when this law was being passed from Indian Parliament, large scale protest were staged by Muslim who termed that law as anti-Muslim.

During the protests four years ago, videos went viral on social media regarding police assault on a group of students in a library at a Muslim-majority university in New Delhi. Later, deadly riots erupted as then-President Donald Trump visited the city. More than 50 people died, and more than 100 of those detained are still in jail, according to local media reports.

The upheaval left the law’s fate in limbo. At the time, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights had called the act “fundamentally discriminatory in nature and in breach of India’s international human rights obligations.”

Human rights activists claimed that extremist BJP led government once again attacked the rights of Muslims living in India by enforcing its anti-Muslim law.

The hateful politics of Modi government has engulfed peace in India and reports of attacks by extremist Hindus against Muslims and other minorities were increasing day by day.

Aljazeera TV in a report said contentious act has jeopardized the rights of 200 million Muslim who have no documents.

Under BJP’s government, Muslims houses were being razed, their businesses were being destroyed while historical mosques were being collapsed. Under Modi’s government, Ram Temple was being built at the site of historical Babari mosque which was built during Mughal era.

However, the silence of United Nations and world community over Modi’s policies against minorities especially anti Muslim was alarming. And it seemed that BJP led government was converting India into Hindutva state.