Congress Extends Support to Victims of CAA Protests in India
As the Modi government is not able to control the situation, police brutality on peaceful protesters – who are protesting against the new citizenship laws that persecute Muslims – is increasing.
By Rakesh Raman
As Indian police and security personnel are using force on peaceful protesters who are opposing the government’s anti-Muslim laws, more than 20 people have been killed and hundreds of others have received serious injuries.
While India’s main opposition party Congress is leading the charge against the government’s anti-people policies, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has offered help to the victims of protests.
“Across India, many young men and women have been wounded and even killed while protesting against the CAA (new citizenship law), I urge our Congress party workers to meet the victims’ families and provide them all possible assistance,” Rahul Gandhi said in his tweet on Monday.
Hundreds of thousands of Indians have been protesting for the past 2 weeks against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 announced by the government headed by PM Narendra Modi along with his associate and Home Minister Amit Shah.
[ US Asks Modi Govt to Stop Use of Force on Peaceful Protesters ]
It is said that nearly 200 university students who were protesting on December 15 in Delhi were admitted to hospital with serious injuries including bullet wounds inflicted by Delhi Police which entered the university without permission to brutalize unarmed students.
As the Modi government is not able to control the situation, police brutality on peaceful protesters – who are protesting against the new citizenship laws that persecute Muslims – is increasing.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said it is deeply troubled by the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) which excludes Muslims.
[ Anti-Muslim Citizenship Bill: U.S. Plans to Impose Sanctions on Amit Shah ]
USCIRF also condemned religious violence in UP and across India and called on Modi government officials and law enforcement to stop use of force on those exercising right to express concern about CAB / CAA and expansion of National Register of Citizens (NRC).
In Uttar Pradesh (UP) state of India, police are openly vandalizing and ransacking homes – mostly of Muslims – and reports suggest that police shot dead 2 young Muslim boys – Suleiman and Anis – who were not even participating in the protests.
According to CNN, at least 15 people have died in violence in UP since the protests against the controversial new citizenship law erupted and the overall death toll across the country is already 22.
As the protests are happening against the new discriminatory citizenship law, police – particularly in Delhi – have beaten the protesters mercilessly.
[ Also Read: U.S. Resolution Asks Modi Govt to Protect Religious Freedom of All Residents ]
The government has also imposed many restrictions in most parts of the country including India’s capital New Delhi. The restrictions include shutdown of Internet and mobile services, termination of local train services, arrests of protesters, and the imposition of Section 144 that prohibits assembly of four or more people in an area.
As police officials are exploiting the situation, they are filing false cases against innocent people and releasing them only after taking bribes of thousands of rupees in each case. According to India Today news, more than 5,500 people have been detained and 925 arrested by the UP Police.
The USCIRF has indicated that the U.S. Government may soon impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act on India and Indian leaders including Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for corruption and human rights abuses.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society. He also creates and publishes a number of digital publications on different subjects.
Photo courtesy: CPI(M)
