- 900 people across civil society have issued the call: “Don’t betray the Constitution. Withdraw the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019”
Since independence, Indian citizenship has been firmly rooted in the Constitution. In its citizenship provisions, the Constitution insists on the fundamentals of equality, regardless of gender, caste, religion, class, community or language. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 tears to shreds the inclusive, composite vision of India that guided our freedom struggle. - Stand Up for the Constitution #Scrap CAB 2019 #NoNRC say Indians!
Citizenship has been defined as the right to have rights. Citizenship in India is based on the non-negotiable principles of equality and non-discrimination. India, when it became Independent (1947) and thereafter when it firmly rooted itself in an inclusive and composite nationhood, in 1950, accepted that people of all faiths, creeds, castes, languages and genders, equally and without discrimination are Indian.
- CAB Passed Without Adequate Public Debate
On December 10th, The Common Wealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) issued a press statement condemning CAB on the ground that it violates Constitutional principles and was not preceded by substantial discussion or public debate. The statement also expressed apprehensions that the Bill could lead to greater divisions and bitterness. - “In the name of democracy”: Over 300 members of the Creative and Scholarly Community issue an open statement against CAA
We are artists, filmmakers, writers and scholars. Our work reflects people’s lives, struggles and hopes. We offer our dreams to everyone. But what dream can show us the way in the midst of the present nightmare? Our vision for this nation demands that we speak up now, in the name of our democracy and the constitution that protects it. We stand in solidarity with the students and others who are protesting and speaking out against CAA and NRC.
Also Read: To Put on Record – Atamjit Singh
- No CAA-NRC, No brutality: In solidarity with Jamia and AMU students
Members of the theatre fraternity in the country, jointly issued a statement in solidarity with the students of the Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMI) and the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) who bore the brunt of state brutality in their peaceful fight against CAB.
- 10,000 academics from around the world express solidarity with Jamia and AMU students
On 15th December 2019 Delhi police in riot-gear illegally entered the Jamia Millia campus and attacked students who are peacefully protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Act bars Muslims from India’s neighboring countries from the acquisition of Indian citizenship. It contravenes the right to equality and secular citizenship enshrined in the Indian constitution. - An open letter to the Citizens of India: India Does not need CAA-NPR-NRC
Though the government seeks to delink the National Population Register (NPR) from the NRIC, we, the Constitutional Conduct Group, comprising former civil servants from the All-India and Central Services committed to the Constitution of India, consider it our duty to inform you that these are linked.
Also Read: सब याद रखा जाएगा – आमिर अज़ीज़
- More than 950 scientists and scholars call for the immediate withdrawal of CAB 2019
We are a group of Indian scientists and scholars. We are issuing this statement in our personal capacity as concerned citizens to express our dismay at the reported plans to table the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 in parliament. The idea of India that emerged from the independence movement, and as enshrined in our constitution, is that of a country that aspires to treat people of all faiths equally. The use of religion as a criterion for citizenship in the proposed bill would mark a radical break with this history and would be inconsistent with the basic structure of the constitution. We fear, in particular, that the careful exclusion of Muslims from the ambit of the Bill will greatly strain the pluralistic fabric of the country. -
Letter of Opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (2019)
While the Citizenship Amendment Bill’s stated purpose is to offer refuge to persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries, it only applies to a small, very specific group of minorities and countries. It conveniently omits Ahmadis from Pakistan, Rohingyas from Myanmar, and Tamils from Sri Lanka, proving that the bill is not about protecting refugees, but instead is intended simply to advance the agenda of Hindutva. In turn, the law will inflame passions, and sharpen communal divisions all over the country, particularly in Bengal, Assam, and other states of the North East.
