Students in Indian universities are standing on the right side of history

While our not-so-secular neighbor was busy debating about the new bill passed by Modi’s government, protests erupted all over the country. Before we dive into the details of the current situation, Let’s introduce you to the bill that has led to this chaotic situation.

 

Here’s what you need to know about the Citizenship Amendment Bill that has caused students in Indian universities to protest

So, the Hindu nationalist BJP government introduced a bill which is engineered in a way to act as a tool to protect minorities in neighboring countries. The bill aims to give Hindus, Jains, Parsis, Christians, and Sikhs easy access to Indian citizenship.

Source: lowyinstitute.org

Different factions in India have been arguing that the exclusion of Muslims from the bill will greatly strain the pluralistic fibre of India, since it has always claimed that it is a secular country.

 

Amidst all the discussion, protests were initiated by the students of Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi, among other Indian universities

 

This led to a serious action by the Delhi Police which has resulted in loss of life and terrible treatment of students, specifically targeting Muslims

Sources have been reporting that the staff was beaten up and continuous use of tear gas and shelling was used to ensure that the students did not intend to create further problems for the central government.

 

The situation got more violent as the students of Aligarh Muslim University also joined the cause too. Indian police used ALL sorts of methods to drown the sane voices in India

 

Videos and photos of Indian police destroying the public property and using tear gas and force against unarmed students were shared all over social media

https://twitter.com/AMUJournal/status/1206268616355782656

 

Now, students from all over Indian universities are standing up for students of Jamia Millia Islamia University and Aligarh University

 

They are condemning the state-led armed brutality against the Muslim students

 

Students irrespective of their religion are coming out in support of the Muslim students who are being targeted by the Indian Police

https://twitter.com/abhijeet_dipke/status/1206571416109211648

 

People are highlighting how unarmed students from various Indian universities are at the frontline of the brutality caused by the police

 

They are slowly waking up to the fact that their silence on such matters will push their country into fascism

The proposed bill and now the current law, citizenship amendment bill is strongly being criticized by various factions of the Indian society. They are asserting that the use of religion as a criterion for citizenship is tainting the secular image of India and is against the idea of modern India which was supposed to build upon the notion of liberty and equality. Indian Muslims are arguing that the law is part of the government’s agenda to marginalize Muslims and it violates secular principles enshrined in the constitution which according to them justifies their protests.

While we here in Pakistan are seeing these protests turn scary, it is a chilling realization that we too need the freedom that we are so strongly hoping for in India.

 

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Cover image via: indiatvnews.com