The proposed legislation seeks to grant citizenship to illegal migrants who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, but excludes Muslims.
Massive protests were carried out in New Delhi, as also in the north-eastern region of the country, where the protesters have called for a shutdown on Monday and Tuesday.
People fear that the legislation, if passed, will lead to an influx of immigrants, especially from neighbouring Bangladesh that shares a border with five of Indian states.
The immigrants in India’s northeast region are feared could increase the number of militant organisations. This region, comprising seven ethnically diverse states, has historically seen the arrival of undocumented immigrants.
The protests came in varied of forms, while nude protests were staged in Assam’s Dibrugarh district, a massive torch-bearing protest was carried out by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) in Lakhimpur district of the state. A group from the All Assam Matak Students' Union also held a naked protest in the street of Sivasagar town in Assam. Police later detained the naked protesters.
Assam: People stage protest against #CitizenshipAmendmentBill2019 in #Golaghat.#VoteAgaistCAB#IndiaRejectsNRC#IndiaAgainstCAB
— Nigah Ban (@Nighah11) December 9, 2019
pic.twitter.com/5IuLpMuSPI
Protest Against #citizenshipamendmenbill in all universities of Assam , Situation is very critical ,This Would be a biggest blunder by this government ,To Save Nation & To Save Constitution #VoteAgainstCAB
— Sanwar Ali (@advsanwar) December 9, 2019
pic.twitter.com/CdSomemfEo
This Is Not A Poltical Rally
— Sanwar Ali (@advsanwar) December 9, 2019
This Is Not A Protest By Any Organisation
This Is Gathering Of People Of Assam In Jorhat Against The Discriminatory #CitizenshipAmendmentBill ,There Is Huge Aggression In The State & Same Aggression Must Be In Parliament Now.
Jai Ho #VoteAgainstCAB pic.twitter.com/6zxLZ8lnWY
Assam: Chabua youths stage nude protest against Citizenship Bill https://t.co/zFTyGvnKqN
— Aftab Alam (@aftabistan) December 8, 2019
The North East Students’ Organisation called for an 11-hour bandh (shutdown) in the whole of the northeast on Tuesday to protest against the issue. Several roads were blocked in Assam due to rubber tyres being burned.
Protest and bandh against #CitizenshipAmendmentBill2019 at Nazira #Assam pic.twitter.com/pOQO4YNcqn
— B Pronit Kumar (@BPronit) December 9, 2019
citizen amendment bill protest in assam on tuesday । नागरिकता (संशोधन) विधेयक के खिलाफ 16 संगठनों का मंगलवार को असम बंद का आह्वान https://t.co/0JwfrP4iic pic.twitter.com/jhkQ7cAA8r
— vishal1 (@vishal185526203) December 9, 2019
Protestors hang effigies of PM Modi, Amit Shah and others leaders during a protest march against Citizenship Amendment Bill (#CAB) 9 Dec 2019, in Guwahtai, #Assam, India.
— Ahmer Khan (@ahmermkhan) December 9, 2019
Photo Ahmer Khan. pic.twitter.com/uBCIsQ0N03
Former UN diplomat and now a member of Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, Shashi Tharoor alleged that the nationalist governing Bharatiya Janata Party government wants to single out one community and called it a “fundamentally unconstitutional" law.
The legislation was previously introduced in parliament in 2016, but Rajya Sabha, the upper house, rejected it, saying that the “right to citizenship is for all and not specific religions”. It was further argued that the legislation would create “ethnic divisions” in the country, especially in ethnically diverse Assam.
