While the world today faces the herculean problem of Coronavirus , India has been marred internally by conflicts. The mass protests and rallies have rocked the nation. These protests have further disrupted the functioning of the developing nation which already is facing a declining growth and developmental rate.
But what are these protests against? Well , these protests are against CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and NRC (National Register of Citizens). These two acts have created a rage in India as they are believed to be biased and against the Muslim community. But this anger was not all of a sudden but built over many years of constant frustration and stress. As the rate of Unemployment sky-rocketed and country’s GDP slumped , there was widespread discontent against the policies of the government. This anger was sparked by these two acts and especially by the Jamia Millia University incident. Many a times these protests turned violent disturbing the peace and tranquility.
NRC is a state-specific exercise to keep its ethnic uniqueness unaltered by identifying illegal immigrants. It was first implemented in Assam on Supreme Court’s order but reports indicated that the government was biased on the grounds of religion. So since the idea of Nationwide NRC was introduced , people took to streets to voice their opinions.
Citizenship Act , 2019 amended the Citizenship act of 1955 by providing religious minorities from neighbouring countries except the Muslims. Even Muslims in Islamic countries face religious persecution but the government logic is that they can take refuge in other countries. People also fear that they would lose their already depleted jobs and natural resources to the new citizens and it would increase the population of the country which already faces the problem of population explosion.
Sometimes the large frustrated gatherings turn violent vandalising public property and pelting stones at the security forces. On 25th February , a riot broke out in New Delhi in which houses , shops , vehicles were charred. Petroleum bombs were used and over 50 were killed. This event has raised eyebrows questioning actions of those protesting against the act.
The government believes that these acts would promote harmony and economy but everything is turning out to be exact opposite of what proposed. The government must take those protesting against into confidence and be transparent so that the public can understand the true meaning of the acts. They must punish the hooligans and end these conflicts peacefully as nothing can be achieved through violence.