Days before a general election is scheduled, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration enacted a citizenship law that has been criticized for discriminating against Muslims. This has sparked sporadic protests in India.
Following the announcement of the implementation, protests erupted late on Monday night in the southern state of Tamil Nadu and the eastern state of Assam, according to officials. No allegations of damage or conflicts with security personnel were made.
On Monday, the administration of Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) published regulations for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which would facilitate the acquisition of Indian citizenship by non-Muslim refugees from three South Asian countries with a majority of Muslims.
The law’s passage in 2019 sparked widespread demonstrations and sectarian violence that resulted in several fatalities, compelling the government to postpone putting it into effect.
On Monday, demonstrators held a candlelit march through Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, during which they sang anti-lawful chants.
Protesters in Assam chanted slogans and set burning copies of the bill on Monday night. Local opposition groups have called for a Tuesday state-wide strike.
Many in Assam are against the CAA because they believe it would boost migration from Muslim Bangladesh, a neighboring country that has long been a source of conflict and division in the state.
Kerala ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) has also asked for Tuesday’s rallies to be held throughout the whole state.
Several opposition chief ministers have criticized the implementation of the CAA. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared, “Kerala will stand united in opposing this communal and divisive law,” in a post on X.
Authorities in New Delhi, the nation’s capital and the epicenter of the 2019 demonstrations, forbade unauthorized meetings and stepped up police presence in high-risk locations in preparation for any violent outburst.
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