The Story Behind the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 and The Protests

The Citizenship Amendment Act (2019) grants Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Parsis and Buddhists from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Illegal immigrants from these communities who have stayed in India without documentation will be given fast-track Indian citizenship in 6 years.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) was introduced in Lok Sabha on December 9 and it was passed on December 10 with 311 votes in favor and 80 votes against the bill.

Rajya Sabha passed the bill on December 11 where 125 voted for the bill and 105 voted against it. After the President's approval on December 12, the bill became an act.

According to CAA 2019, Indian citizenship can be granted to an individual who has entered India by December 31, 2014 and who has suffered religious persecution or the fear of religious persecution in their country of origin.

So far, the condition for naturalization was 11 years of residence in India. CAA relaxes this requirement to 5 years.

Under this law, OCI registration of an individual will be canceled if he has violated any provision of the Citizenship Act or any other law.

The law is not applicable in Meghalaya, Tripura and Assam and in areas regulated through the Inner Line of Permit.

CAA has received mass criticism from different parts of the world. 1000 Indian scholars and scientists signed a petition against the bill. USCIRF criticized it.

Muslims and secular groups perceived this as discrimination on grounds of religion. Protests were seen in Assam and other northeastern states that later spread to other parts of India.

Critics stated that persecuted Muslims (like Ahmadiyyas in Pakistan and the Hazaras in Afghanistan and Pakistan) and refugees of these groups in India as well as refugees in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Nepal have not been covered.

Also, the citizenship of Tamil-speaking Hindus and Tibetan refugees from China may be in question.

Protests in Assam were due to the fear that non-Muslim illegal immigrants in their region will be allowed to stay, affecting the state's cultural identity.

On December 13, students from the Jamia Millia Islamia University undertook a protest against the CAA. To stop the students, police used batons and tear gas leading to injuries. This act of the police received severe criticism and led to protests by students in other parts of the country.

Students from the Sikkim University undertook protests condemning the deaths of protestants in Assam and the brutality towards protests by students.

Students in universities from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh and Lucknow also joined the protests.

Protests in West Bengal included attacks on railway stations and public buses. Trains were set on fire. Chief Minister condemned NRC and CAA and appealed for peace in the state.

A hunger strike was undertaken in Kerala. Chief Minister of Kerala termed CAA as anti-constitutional and anti-people. Protests were seen in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

In Gujarat, people gathered in front of the Sabarmati Ashram in solidarity with the students in Delhi. Civil Rights Organizations announced a Gujarat Bandh.

According to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, an individual had to prove that he or his ancestors were in Assam on or before March 24, 1971.

The implementation of NRC has been proposed in other states so that illegal immigrants can be identified and sent back to the countries they came from.

If NRC is implemented throughout India, illegal immigrants from countries other than Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, and Muslims from these countries will be affected, and may be rendered stateless.

The Opposition party in India has criticized CAA stating that the act establishes Muslims as second-class citizens of India and favors other communities. And that, this is a violation of the fundamental right to equality given by the Constitution.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed for peace in the nation stating that, "No Indian has anything to worry regarding this act. This act is only for those who have faced years of persecution outside and have no other place to go except India."