Delhi: India has moved forward with the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a controversial law passed in 2019, just weeks before Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a rare third term in office.
According to media reports, the Indian Parliament approved the law that forms the basis of religion for citizenship in December 2019, following which there were protests resulting in violence against this law in the country, resulting in the deaths of over 100 individuals, mostly Muslims.
According to this law, the central government can grant citizenship to Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians who migrated to India from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014.
Critics working for human rights have labeled this law as “anti-Muslim” because Muslims are excluded from the purview of this law. Advocates for Muslim rights argue that this law, along with the approved National Register of Citizens (NRC), could lead to discriminatory treatment against India’s population of over 200 million Muslims. Concerns have been raised that the government could strip citizenship from Muslim residents in border states who lack citizenship documents.
The implementation of the CAA comes amid rising Islamophobia in India, with human rights groups accusing the government of mistreating Muslims. Under Modi’s leadership, the country has witnessed a surge in attacks against Muslims, including mob lynching incidents and hate speech targeting the community.
Reports indicate a rise in hate speech against Muslims in recent years, with the majority of incidents occurring in states governed by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Critics argue that the BJP’s rise to power has emboldened extremist elements, leading to an escalation in anti-Muslim sentiments across the country.
The controversial citizenship bill was passed by the lower house (Lok Sabha) of the Indian Parliament on December 9, 2019, and was also approved by the upper house (Rajya Sabha) on December 11.
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