Indian Citizenship Amendment Act: When The Government Is Biased With Certain Religious Groups

Illustration (Unsplash)

JAKARTA - India has been filled with massive protests for more than a month following the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act by the Indian Parliament.

In mid-January, a student group carried out a protest, but the police responded brutally. Protests spread and the Indian government relied on a colonial-era law stating that associations of more than four people were prohibited. The authorities also had time to turn off the internet network in several areas, including New Delhi, which is the capital of India.

24 people were killed and hundreds injured in the rioting between Hindu and Muslim groups. Hospital officials confirmed many of the victims had come with gunshot wounds amidst incidents of stoning, burning and looting. Unfortunately the Government of India did not comment much regarding this incident.

What is the Citizenship Amendment Act?

Quoted from the BBC, Thursday 27 February, before the 2019 elections, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party released a manifesto. The manifesto emphasized that they would commit to enacting a law that grants citizenship to religious minorities who fled due to religious persecution in three neighboring countries, namely Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The minority religions they mean are Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Christianity. Within months of their re-election, the government introduced the Citizenship Amendment Act.

The Indian government then explained the reasons for enforcing the law, which does not include Islam. They argue that since the constitutions of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh define Islam as the religion of the country, individuals from other religious communities face violence that has led many to flee to India.

Thus, the Government of India made the regulation as a measure to allow these immigrants to live and work in India.

India's Home Minister claims, the government does not take anyone's rights, but gives rights to people in need.

No one objected to the new law, he said. He argued that the government seeks to protect minorities from other countries by and support minority communities in India.

The "specialty" of this law is that they are from a minority religious group and the country acquires Indian citizenship with naturalization quickly. Whereas the previous regulations required them to have lived in India for at least 11 out of 14 years, now only 5 years.

The Citizenship Amendment Law Controversy

The Citizenship Amendment Act shows that there is exclusivity and violates secular principles in the Indian constitution. The Indian government is (apparently) unaware that its efforts are not to discriminate against minorities, instead by discriminating against other minorities.

Various circles in India have also expressed criticism. The criticism stated that India wanted to protect minorities who were affected by persecution, it should also be able to see more widely Muslims who became minorities in other countries and fled to India.

For example, the Rohingya ethnic group, who had been deported some time ago, received persecution and were a minority group but did not receive protection from India.

In addition, indirectly, Muslim migrants will continue to have illegal status in India because they cannot follow up on the process of becoming Indian citizens because they are not included in the minority group mentioned in the Citizenship Law. The government is increasingly seen as unfair because it will treat migrants based on religion.

However, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party denied committing any "bias" against Muslims.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is concerned about this violence in India. They urge the Indian Government to control the mobs and protect religious and other minorities who are being targeted.

Narendra Modi's attitude

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that the law was created to grant citizenship to citizens, and the state does not take it from anyone.

Speaking in Belur Math, Kolkata, at a meeting attended by many young people, PM Modi said, although most students and youth understand the importance of the Citizenship Amendment Act and why the government passed the law, there are still some who are misled by religious issues. Modi said it was the youth's duty to make people aware of the importance of the law.

On another occasion, PM Modi also said that the Citizenship Amendment Law was here to correct "historical injustices" against minorities from neighboring countries and to fulfill the country's "old promises".

The reasons Modi gave have not had a calming effect on a society that has been divided between supporters and opponents of the Citizenship Law. Not only that, the action became a quarrel between Hindu and Muslim groups.

In the midst of the violence that occurred between religious communities, Modi made no meaningful policies other than asking the public to make peace. The day after his meeting with US President Donald Trump, PM Modi begged New Delhi to return to peace.

This, Modi did after there were reports of 24 people killed and hundreds of others injured in the rioting. Hospital officials confirmed many of the victims had come with gunshot wounds amidst incidents of stone-throwing, burning and looting.

"Peace and harmony are at the center of our ethos. I appeal to the brothers and sisters in New Delhi to maintain peace and brotherhood at all times," said Modi.

Peace and harmony are central to our ethos. I appeal to my sisters and brothers of Delhi to maintain peace and brotherhood at all times. It is important that there is calm and normalcy is restored at the earliest.

- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 26, 2020

Riots like these are not foreign to Modi. In 2002, in Gujarat, when Modi was the top official in the area, there were clashes between Hindus and Muslims.

The rebellion killed more than 1,000 people and became the worst rioting. Modi was tried but eventually released, although many argue that Modi was guilty of not doing much to stop the rebellion.

Now in 2020, a similar incident has occurred again. As if he had not learned from his experience, PM Modi again did not do anything to suppress the rebellion. Who knows how long the inter-religious strife in India will be allowed.