NEW DELHI: Sporadic protests have erupted across India against the implementation of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), sparking renewed concerns about its discriminatory impact on Muslims.
Narendra Modi government faces backlash as demonstrations broke out in various states, including Assam and Tamil Nadu, just days before a general election is announced.
In Assam and Tamil Nadu, demonstrators voiced their opposition to the CAA, with protests involving burning copies of the law and shouting slogans against its implementation. Opposition parties in Assam have called for a statewide strike in response to the law.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has joined the opposition, calling for state-wide protests in Kerala against what they describe as a “communal and divisive law.”
In Delhi, where protests against the CAA were concentrated in 2019, authorities remain on alert for potential violence, implementing measures to prevent unlawful gatherings and increasing police presence in sensitive areas.
The CAA grants Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from three Muslim-majority South Asian nations, with rights activists and Muslim groups expressing concerns about its discriminatory nature, particularly when combined with a proposed national register of citizens.
