The upper house of India's parliament has passed a citizenship law for non-Muslim minorities. The bill was approved by 125 members, while 105 opposed it.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill is supposed to grant Indian nationality to non-Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, who fled their home countries before 2015. It also requires Indian citizenship seekers to prove that they arrived in India due to religious persecution.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to react to the passing of the bill.
A landmark day for India and our nation’s ethos of compassion and brotherhood!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 11, 2019
Glad that the #CAB2019 has been passed in the #RajyaSabha. Gratitude to all the MPs who voted in favour of the Bill.
This Bill will alleviate the suffering of many who faced persecution for years.
The approval of the bill was preceded by intense debates in parliament. Earlier this week, the government announced a 24-hour ban on mobile Internet access in the state of Assam in order to prevent the spread of rumours concerning the possible ill-effects of the bill.
