Will protests stop India’s controversial citizenship law?
India’s supreme court is expected to hear petitions against the constitutionality of the Citizenship Amendment Act.
On Monday, January 6 at 19:30 GMT:
Protesters across India are continuing a weeks-long fight against a new citizenship law that excludes Muslim immigrants and is stoking fear of greater anti-Muslim discrimination in the country. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) passed parliament in December and grants non-Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh a quicker pathway towards citizenship. Because the law excludes Muslims, protesters say it goes against India’s secular constitution.
The citizenship law has also been discussed alongside the ruling BJP’s plan for a National Register of Citizens (NRC), a measure seen by critics as another anti-Muslim move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government.
Some demonstrations have turned violent. At least 27 people have been killed and more than 1,000 people have been detained since protests began in early December. Authorities in some parts of the country have intermittently shut down mobile internet services to prevent the spread of misinformation.
In this episode, we’ll discuss the controversy over India’s new citizenship law. Join the conversation.
Read more:
As India violence gets worse, police are accused of abusing Muslims – New York Times
Indians hold citizenship law ‘protest parties’ on New Year’s Eve – Al Jazeera
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