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<ul><li>The controversial <keyword id="2743057" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Citizenship-amendment-bill">Citizenship Amendment Bill</keyword> became a law after President Ram Nath Kovind passed it on December 13.</li><li>Violent protests in <keyword id="6354915" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="assam">Assam</keyword> against the bill left two protesters dead, and 11 with bullet wounds on the very same day. </li><li>People in Assam are demanding unconditional withdrawal of the contentious bill as they fear it will allow thousands of Bangladeshis to move to India, swamping their language, culture and traditions. </li></ul>The controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill became a law after President Ram Nath Kovind passed it on December 13. As per the Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 and facing religious persecution there --- will not be treated as illegal immigrants and granted Indian citizenship. The bill sparked protests in India’s North East ever since the cabinet decided to introduce it as a bill in Lok Sabha. In 2016, a decision to table the bill was restrained after a massive backlash from Assam. However, union home minister Amit Shah tabled the bill in Lok Sabha on December 11, 2019. Here’s why Assam is at the heart of the massive protest against Citizenship Amendment Bill: <div type="Slideshow" msid="72517525" hostid="261" title="10 horrific pictures show how northeast India is burning in protest of the new Citizenship Act" firstImageMsid="72517807" slideCount="10"></div>

10 horrific pictures show how northeast India is burning in protest of the new Citizenship Act

<ul><li>The Indian government has been shutting down internet services in select parts of the country amid protests against the <keyword id="6564012" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="citizenship-amendment-act">Citizenship Amendment Act</keyword> (CAA).</li><li>The internet shutdowns have led an outcry from human activists that such measures aren’t coming down through the ‘right channels’.</li><li>The accelerated pace and expanse of the internet shutdowns also has China citing India as ‘setting an example’.</li><li>Businesses aren’t immune to the effects either as many online retailers rescheduled orders or reported a dip in sales.</li></ul>Amid the protests, violence and discord over India’s newly formed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), authorities have been shutting down access to the internet in selected areas to control the situation. When the internet isn’t being shut down, it’s at least being slowed down — known as throttling. Human rights activists claim that the order did not come down the ‘right channels’ making the entire exercise ‘illegal’. 
 <div type="image" title="protest2_edited" msid="72931875" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Throngs of anti-CAA protests outside the Red Fort in New Delhi&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 It can only be ordered by a competent authority like Union home secretary or state home secretary, but this order was not issued by them," technology lawyer Mishi Choudhary told <a href="https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/delhi-internet-shutdown-did-not-come-via-right-channel-digital-right-activists/72897911">ET</a>. And, this is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/internet-shutdowns-in-india-have-skyrocketed-but-now-the-indian-government-wants-that-to-stop/articleshow/67178243.cms">not the first time</a> that the government is being accused of using <keyword id="991379" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Internet-shutdown">internet shutdown</keyword> as a ‘quick fix’ solution for ‘potentially’ volatile situations. 
 <div type="image" title="protest6_edited" msid="72931857" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Phone with postpaid connections finally get network access in Kashmir on 14 October 2019 after 71 days of an internet shutdown&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 In fact, India has turned so infamous for it during the last few months that China — known for its strict surveillance of online activity — is citing India as an example. India’s internet shutdown shows normal practice for sovereign countries," said an editorial by Qing Qiu in <a href="http://en.people.cn/n3/2019/1217/c90000-9641267.html">People’s Daily</a> — China’s largest newspaper and a controlled entity of the country’s ruling party. Internet shutdown capital of the world The government is allowed to sanction an internet shutdown in the case of a public emergency under the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017. The problem is that internet shutdowns have become so common in India that it now has a reputation for being the ‘<a href="https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/inside-the-internet-shutdown-capital-of-the-world-11575644823381.html">internet shutdown capital of the world</a>’. Kashmiris had to endure a four-month-long shutdown while the networks in Assam and parts of West Bengal were sporadically cut and activated. 
 <div type="image" title="protest7_edited" msid="72931888" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Parts of Kashmir remain under curfew and internet black out&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 Since 2012, the internet has been shut down in India a total of 375 times and most of them have occurred during the last two years — 134 in 2018 and 103 in 2019. It means that shutting down the internet in a state of emergency should be standard practice for sovereign countries," according to the <a href="http://en.people.cn/n3/2019/1217/c90000-9641267.html">People’s Daily</a> editorial. Impact of internet shutdowns The damage of an internet shutdown isn’t restricted to missing messages on WhatsApp or an update on Instagram either. Although, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did ironically try and send out a tweet his ‘brothers and sisters in Assam’ when it was under an internet blackout. 
	<div type="twitter" handle="narendramodi" handlename="Narendra Modi" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1134082549041393672/QbihPzrL_normal.png" favoritecount="77241" retweetcount="15350" status="I want to assure my brothers and sisters of Assam that they have nothing to worry after the passing of #CAB. I wa… https://t.co/VPsj5t5opd" createdat="1576124902000" id="1204981291730341888"></div>



 Internet shutdowns are affecting businesses as well. Between 2012 to 2017, they cost the economy nearly $3 billion, according to an estimate by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (<a href="https://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2018/apr/26/internet-shutdown-cost-indian-economy-usd-3-billion-from-2012-17-study-1806393.html">ICRIER</a>). This time around, food delivery apps like Zomato, Uber Eats and Swiggy saw their <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/cabs-to-food-e-biz-hit-by-internet-shutdown/articleshow/72920805.cms">volumes dip by 10 to 20%</a> in Delhi. Grofers, an online grocery delivery service, had to reschedule 20,000 to 25,000 of its orders in Lucknow. 
 <div type="image" title="protest1_edited" msid="72931915" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Traffic comes to half as roads get blocked by anti-CAA protestors in New Delhi&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 In addition the effect on businesses, this might not be the best time for the Indian government to be exercising its power in such a way with the Personal Data Protection Bill underway. The bill is currently under discussion by a joint committee after being tabled in the Parliament in its last session. There are concerns that it has too many loopholes that will give the government access to user data in the name of ‘national security’ or a ‘public emergency’ — the very same reason used to justify the many internet shutdowns across the country. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/internet-shutdowns-in-india-have-skyrocketed-but-now-the-indian-government-wants-that-to-stop/articleshow/67178243.cms">Internet shutdowns in India have skyrocketed — but now the Indian government wants that to stop</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/All-the-countries-where-someone-managed-to-shut-down-the-entire-internet-160and-why-they-did-it/articleshow/70009168.cms">All the countries where someone managed to shut down the entire internet - and why they did it</a> <a href="http://businessinsider.in/india-accounted-for-most-number-of-intentional-internet-shutdowns-in-south-asia-2017-18-unesco/articleshow/64189016.cms">India accounted for most number of intentional internet shutdowns in South Asia 2017-18: UNESCO</a>

Indian government shut off the Internet over a 100 times in 2019 — and China is lovin' it

Union Home Minister Amit Shah to table the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 in the Lok Sabha today (December 9, 2019). The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan escaping religious persecution there. Here's what Citizenshil Bill means and what are challenges it poses: What is the citizenship bill? As per PRS legislative, an independent research institute. the bill amends the Citizenship Act of 1955 to add a religious angle. In its new avatar, the citizenship bill makes illegal migrants who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from ⁠— Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan ---eligible for citizenship. To be able to benefit from it, the applicant must have resided in India during the last 12 months and for 11 of the previous 14 years. For the applicants of the above mentioned six religions from three countries, the bill relaxes the 11 year requirement to six. Why was this bill being opposed? This bill which was brought to the fore in 2016 had sparked protests from many groups for picking and choosing the religion of the people who would be eligible for citizenship. PRS says that this Bill could violate Article 14 of the Indian Constitution which guarantees the right to equality. “The Bill allows cancellation of Original Citizens of India (OCI) registration for violation of any law. This is a wide ground that may cover a range of violations, including minor offences (eg. parking in a no parking zone),” said PRS. Added to that, Muslims, Jews and atheists have been left out of the bill which goes on to include only those religions who are in minority in the three countries in question. Many debaters have pointed out that Muslims are a minority in Nepal and Sri Lanka, and the amendment excludes them. The government had claimed that the Bill is for the greater good of the country, and offers sanctuary to asylum seekers. “There are some decisions that are acceptable to some, not acceptable to others. The BJP has thought deeply about the Citizenship Amendment Bill before bringing it. We cannot leave a large swathe of people fleeing persecution hanging in mid-air. We believe that the Bill is necessary for the country,” Amit Shah, the home minister of India told earlier this year, as agitations against the Bill were<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/citizenship-bill-necessary-says-amit-shah/article26168945.ece"> at the zenith.</a> Who has agitated against the bill? Though protests and marches against the bill were organized all over the country, civil groups of Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh have been vehemently against it. The new bill violates the Assam Accord, 1985 — which led to deportation of illegal immigrants in the state regardless of their religion, many debaters had said. Families of around 855 martyrs of the anti-foreigners Assam Agitation of 1979-1985 had returned the citation that the government had given them in 2016. “India is a democracy, though people have the right to voice their ideas and demands, such actions are not appreciated in society,” said Assam<a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/assam-admits-protests-over-citizenship-bill-a-challenge-calls-for-calm-1987411"> Chief Secretary Alok Kumar</a>. The controversial bill coupled with National Register of Citizens (NRC) might alter the composition of many states in the country--especially the North-East which is known to harbour maximum illegal immigrants. What next? After the approval of the Union cabinet, the bill will be tabled in the Parliament next week. The bill was passed by the lower house of the last winter session had lapsed as it awaited the upper house to pass it-- and lapsed as the government was dissolved. The Union defence minister <a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/union-cabinet-gives-green-signal-to-citizenship-amendment-bill-11575437696107.html">is known to </a>have asked all the MPs against absenteeism in both the houses as it is tabled. As Amit Shah tables the bill, the opposition is expected to disrupt the session, and the ruling BJP is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that it gets the green signal this time around.

What is Citizenship Bill and what are challenges it poses

<ul><li>India’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act is being challenged by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) less than a day after being passed by the Rajya Sabha. </li><li>IUML claims that the act is unconstitutional and violates the fundamental right to equality. </li><li>It has asked for stay order on the Act until the matter is resolved. </li></ul>India’s Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) was passed in the Rajya Sabha just yesterday and it’s already being challenged by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). It has filed a petition with the Supreme Court accusing the new act of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/news/academicians-ex-babus-authors-scientists-seek-withdrawal-of-citizenship-bill/articleshow/72469434.cms">being in violation</a> of the Constitution’s fundamental right to equality. <div type="image" title="CAB3" msid="72487641" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Protests against CAB turn violent in Guwahati, Assam&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>
 Protests have been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-citizenship-bill-assam-protests-rise-conrad-sangma-and-aribam-syam-sharma-join/articleshow/67830987.cms">ravaging India’s north-east</a> since the cabinet’s decision to introduce the bill in Lok Sabha. The violence only escalated after CAB <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/foreign-policy/news/lok-sabha-works-through-the-night-to-pass-citizenship-bill/articleshow/72450180.cms">moved to the Rajya Sabha for approval</a>. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/society/news/north-east-student-body-in-warns-indian-government-against-amending-the-citizenship-act/articleshow/72276774.cms">Protestors</a> burnt tires on the roads and threw bricks at the police, forcibly shutting down shops and markets. When the Border Security Force (BSF) tried to stop them, they damaged the fire brigade vehicle. 

<div type="image" title="CAB4" msid="72487676" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Protesters burn tires along the roads&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 CAB is now ready to become law — an official act instead of a bill — after the Rajya Sabha passed the bill following a gruelling six-and-half-hour debate. Guwahati continues to be at the epicentre of anti-CAB protests — railways services have been halted, a curfew has been imposed and mobile serves in ten districts have been suspended. To control the deteriorating law and order situation in Assam and Tripura, eight columns of the Indian Army have been deployed along with 12 companies from the Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF). Why is the Citizenship (Amendment) Act being challenged? CAB takes the original Citizenship Act of 1955 and adds a religious element to it, according to PRS, an independent research institute. It restricts the eligibility of citizenship for illegal immigrants to certain religions — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians — leaving Muslims, Jews and atheists out of the fold. Some have even labelled it India’s new ‘<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-50670393">anti-Muslim</a>’ law. <div type="image" title="CAB2_edited" msid="72487556" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Congressmen burn the effigy of Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) during their protest march in Patna on Wednesday&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>
 IUML claims that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) is in violation of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the constitution — the right to equality, the right to non-discrimination, and the right to life. Its writ petition to the Supreme Court is asking for a stay order on the amendment until the matter’s been fully explored. <div type="image" title="IUML leaders" msid="72487539" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;IUML leaders (left to right) P K Kunhalikutty, Khader Mohideen, Panakkad Hyder, and Ali Shihab Thangal &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 The US Commission of International Religous Freedom (USCIRF) also echoed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/indias-citizenship-bill-is-a-dangerous-turn-in-the-wrong-direction-says-us-commission-for-religious-freedom/articleshow/72452797.cms">similar concerns </a>on Monday. “The CAB is a dangerous turn in the wrong direction; it runs counter to India’s rich history of secular pluralism and the Indian Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law regardless of faith,” it said. CAA is also in violation of the Assam Accord of 1985, which led to the deportation of illegal immigrants from the state regardless of of their religion. <div type="image" title="CAB5" msid="72487770" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;People stage a demonstration against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Agartala, Tripura&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 The bill justifies its stance stating that only religions who are a minority in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were included as eligible for citizenship. This is despite the fact, as many debaters have pointed out, that Muslims are a minority in both Sri Lanka and Nepal. “India is a democracy, though people have the right to voice their ideas and demands, such actions are not appreciated in society,” said Assam Chief Secretary <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/assam-admits-protests-over-citizenship-bill-a-challenge-calls-for-calm-1987411">Alok Kumar</a>. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, will be arguing on IUML’s behalf in the Supreme Court. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/indias-citizenship-bill-is-a-dangerous-turn-in-the-wrong-direction-says-us-commission-for-religious-freedom/articleshow/72452797.cms">India’s Citizenship Bill is a dangerous turn in the wrong direction, says US Commission for Religious Freedom</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/foreign-policy/news/lok-sabha-works-through-the-night-to-pass-citizenship-bill/articleshow/72450180.cms">Lok Sabha works through the night to pass citizenship bill</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/news/academicians-ex-babus-authors-scientists-seek-withdrawal-of-citizenship-bill/articleshow/72469434.cms">Romila Thapar, Amitav Ghosh, Nandita Das join 600 writers and artists to seek withdrawal of Citizenship Bill</a>

India's Citizenship Act gets challenged at the Supreme Court barely a day after passing Parliament

<ul><li>The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha and will be tabled in <keyword id="48510" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajya-Sabha">Rajya Sabha</keyword> today.</li><li>The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (<keyword id="1279363" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="USCIRF">USCIRF</keyword>) has called it a dangerous turn. </li><li>The statement of the USCIRF also said that the United States government should consider sanctions against the Home Minister and other principal leadership, if the bill is passed in both houses.</li></ul>The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has raised concerns about the passing of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the lower house of the Indian Parliament. “The CAB is a dangerous turn in the wrong direction; it runs counter to India’s rich history of secular pluralism and the Indian Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law regardless of faith,” said USCIRF. Today, the bill will be tabled in the Upper House of the parliament – the Rajya Sabha. “If the CAB passes in both houses of parliament, the United States government should consider sanctions against the Home Minister and other principal leadership,” said the official statement of the USCIRF. The <keyword id="452568" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Citizenship-bill">citizenship bill</keyword> makes illegal migrants who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from ⁠— Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan eligible for citizenship. To apply for citizenship, one would have to reside in India for six years and continuously for the past 12 months. However, the bill does not include Muslims which has become a point of contention and has sparked protests across the country, especially in the North Eastern state of Assam. “In conjunction with the ongoing National Register of Citizens (NRC) process in Assam and nationwide NRC that the Home Minister seeks to propose, USCIRF fears that the Indian government is creating a religious test for Indian citizenship that would strip citizenship from millions of Muslims,” said the USCIRF. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/news/what-is-citizenship-bill-and-how-does-it-affect-religious-freedom-in-india/articleshow/72362487.cms">What is citizenship bill and how does it affect religious freedom in India?</a>

India’s Citizenship Bill is a dangerous turn in the wrong direction, says US Commission for Religious Freedom

New Delhi, Dec 12 () The civil aviation ministry on Thursday said movement of passengers at Dibrugarh airport in Assam has been disrupted due to blockage of road transportation to and from the aerodrome.
The stranded passengers have been evacuated in a phased manner, the ministry said in a series of tweets.
"In consultation with stakeholders, air operations to and from the airport shall resume as soon as the situation improves," it said.
On Thursday, airlines cancelled flights to various places in Assam, which are witnessing unrest due to protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB).
The ministry also said the temporary suspension of operations on Thursday is being closely monitored.
"The movement of passengers at Dibrugarh airport is disrupted due to the blockage of road transportation to and from the airport. The officials have extended all amenities to the stranded passengers with the help of local administration," the ministry said.
IndiGo, Air India, GoAir, SpiceJet and Vistara have cancelled their flights.
In a tweet, Vistara said it has cancelled flights "as per government advice due to current disturbances in Assam".
"Flight UK725 (IXB-DIB) and UK726 (DIB-IXB) are cancelled for today. We are offering free change/cancellation to Guwahati and Dibrugarh flights through Sunday, December 15," it said.
IXB and DIB are the codes for Bagdogra (West Bengal) and Dibrugarh airports. RAM RAM BAL
BAL

Stranded passengers at Dibrugarh airport evacuated in phased manner, says civil aviation ministry

<ul class="summary-list"><li>India's parliament passed a new amendment to its citizenship law earlier this month, providing a pathway to citizenship for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities while singling out its minority Muslim population. </li><li>The amended act has been <a href="https://twitter.com/UNHumanRights/status/1205451656495861761">slammed by critics</a> and has sparked deadly protests around the country.</li><li>The fight that has erupted over the citizenship bill is reflective of the country's <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2124474/india-no-country-muslims">rising tide of bigotry</a> directed towards minorities, in particular, its Muslim population, which makes up about 14% of the country's massive 1.3 billion people.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>A controversial amendment to a law was recently passed in India, sparking deadly protests around the country and leading some to question the country's democratic values.On December 11, India's parliament passed an amendment to its Citizenship Act of 1955, which sets out guidelines for becoming a citizen in the country. The 2019 revision added a religious element to the bill, providing a pathway to citizenship for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities who fled neighboring Muslim-majority countries Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The amended act has been <a href="https://twitter.com/UNHumanRights/status/1205451656495861761">slammed by critics</a> as anti-Islam, and they say it further marginalizes India's sizeable Muslim minority. Violent protests have erupted across the country in response, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-burning-protests-new-citizenship-act-2019-12">resulting in the deaths of six people</a>. Dozens more have been arrested or injured in clashes with police.The fight that has erupted over the citizenship bill is reflective of the country's <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2124474/india-no-country-muslims">rising tide of bigotry</a> directed towards minorities, in particular, its Muslim population, which makes up about 14% of the country's massive 1.3 billion people.The bill has also handed more power to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist government in crafting a country which affords more rights to its Hindu majority and leaves room for further discrimination in the areas of governance and public space. <h2>What exactly does the bill say?</h2>India's Citizenship Act was first established in 1955 and created comprehensive guidelines related to citizenship in the country.It has been amended several times, including at 2003 amendment that authorized the government to keep a national register of all of its citizens (referred to as the NRC). Today, the register has not yet been implemented except in the northeastern state of Assam, which is home to a Muslim-majority population. The most recent changes to the Citizenship Act (often referred to locally as CAB or CAA) were passed by India's lower house of parliament - the Lok Sabha - on December 10, before being cleared by the upper house of parliament - the Rajya Sabha - a day later. The bill was signed into law by President Ram Nath Kovind.The bill was introduced by Indian home affairs minister Amit Shah, a leading member of ‎Modi's right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, and it promised to provide refuge for persecuted religious minorities from three neighboring Muslim-majority countries who entered India before 2015.Notably, the act excludes Muslim migrants "as they do not face religious persecution in these Islamic countries," India's parliament <a href="https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=195783">said in a statement</a> after the bill's passage. The bill also leaves out two neighboring Buddhist countries, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, which have experienced major refugee crises in recent years. There are about 59,000 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees residing in over 100 camps in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, according to <a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/article30328790.ece">Indian magazine Frontline</a>, and about 30,000 that live outside these camps.The bill also ignores what the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22491&amp;LangID=E">UN has deemed the world's most persecuted minority</a>, the Rohingya Muslims, who suffered ethnic and religious cleansing at the hands of the Burmese military in Myanmar. Authorities <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-rohingya-india-idUSKCN1AU0UC">have reportedly pledged</a> to deport the estimated 40,000 Rohingya refugees currently residing in India, despite facing danger in their home state. "The only religion that the Modi government follows is the Constitution of India," the statement added.In the statement, Shah "reiterated that the Bill is not against any Minority in India and the rights of each Indian Citizen will be equally protected."The bill does not apply to Assam and other indigenous areas.A spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25425&amp;LangID=E">called</a> the act "discriminatory in nature" and said it undermines India's democratic framework:"The law isn't truly about protecting the region's religious minorities," <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/12/17/india-citizenship-law-protests-narendra-modi-amit-shah-founding-fathers/">wrote Ravi Agrawal and Kathryn Salam of Foreign Policy</a>. "Instead, it challenges India's secularism by making religion part of the basis for citizenship."The Citizenship Act has spurred thousands of people from human rights groups, universities and religious groups to come out in protest this month. On December 15, clashes between police and students escalated on two Muslim university campuses - Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh and of Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi - resulting in police <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/17/india-protests-students-condemn-barbaric-police">using batons and tear gas on students</a>.The unrest has even led authorities to deploy army personnel and <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/curfew-relaxed-few-hours-guwahati-assam-boils-caa-1628386-2019-12-15">impose a curfew in Assam</a>, as protests boil over. <h2>This is not the first time the government has targeted its Muslim population</h2>India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has taken steps to further marginalize the country's Muslim population since coming into power in 2014.The NRC's exclusive use in Assam has been derided by critics as a way to of stoking religious tensions. According to a <a href="http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW18C-01%20MDDS.XLS">2011 census</a>, Muslims makeup nearly 35% of Assam's population, and are a majority in eight of the state's districts. <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/assam-final-nrc-list-out-over-19-lakh-people-excluded-1593769-2019-08-31">In August</a>, 1.9 million people from the region were excluded from the register, effectively stripping them of citizenship. <a href="https://amnesty.org.in/news-update/uncertain-destiny-for-millions-in-assam-post-nrc/">Amnesty International</a> has criticized the NRC and says it leaves the futures of millions of people in the region uncertain.In September, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-building-mass-detention-center-illegal-immigrants-assam-citizenship-2019-9/commerce-on-business-insider">India began construction</a> on a large-scale detention center in the Goalpara district of Assam meant to hold at least 3,000 detainees, according to Reuters. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-india-revoke-article-370-quasi-independence-internet-tourists-2019-8">And in August</a>, India also revoked part of its constitution which gave the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir a special status and quasi-independence. Over the past four months, Kashmir, which is home to a significant Muslim population, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/kashmiri-artists-resisting-india-months-long-lockdown-191207062705088.html">has been off from communication, held on lockdown</a>, and is now directly under the control of India's federal government in New Delhi. As part of shutting down communication, residents in Kashmir have lost access to phone lines and the internet. According to advocacy groups, the internet shutdown in the region is the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/indias-internet-shutdown-in-kashmir-is-now-the-longest-ever-in-a-democracy/2019/12/15/bb0693ea-1dfc-11ea-977a-15a6710ed6da_story.html">longest-ever crackdown imposed on a democracy</a>. Only authoritarian countries, like China and Myanmar, have experienced longer internet shutdowns.The four-month internet blackout has been so severe that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/whatsapp-kashmir-accounts-removed-internet-blackout-2019-12">WhatsApp is deleting the accounts</a> of residents in the region because they've been inactive for so long. <h2>State-sanctioned discrimination against Muslims has had dire consequences</h2>The Modi government's attitudes and policies towards minority groups has sparked racially motivated clashes, and observers say that the ruling Hindu party has fostered a culture of impunity through its inaction in addressing violence.Shah, who crafted the citizenship bill, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/india-election-speech/amit-shah-vows-to-throw-illegal-immigrants-into-bay-of-bengal-idUSKCN1RO1YD">vowed in April</a> to throw illegal Muslim immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh into the Bay of Bengal. He has also <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/lok-sabha-2019/story/bjp-amit-shah-hindu-refugees-mamata-bannerjee-1499691-2019-04-11">previously referred</a> to illegal immigrants as "termites." India has also seen an increase in attacks against its Muslim minority in recent months. A February 2019 report from <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/02/18/violent-cow-protection-india/vigilante-groups-attack-minorities">Human Rights Watch</a> found that between May 2015 and December 2018, at least 36 Muslims were killed across 12 Indian states. Roughly 280 people were injured across 20 states during the same period, the rights group added.In a particularly gruesome case last year, an eight-year-old Muslim girl was kidnapped, raped, and killed in Jammu and Kashmir by a group of Hindu men with the intention of committing the crime <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/six-men-convicted-in-rape-of-8-year-old-girl-that-shocked-india/2019/06/10/cde7b17c-8b5f-11e9-b162-8f6f41ec3c04_story.html">in order to drive away Muslim nomads in the area</a>. The country has also seen a <a href="https://www.trtworld.com/asia/in-southern-kashmir-there-s-little-enthusiasm-for-india-s-elections-26253">crackdown on protests</a>, attacks on the <a href="https://thewire.in/politics/narendra-modi-amit-shah-bjp-india-media">free press</a>, and history books <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/india-modi-culture/">have been rewritten</a> in favor of Hindu achievements.<h2>India is inching towards fascism</h2>Experts have noted that India is straying away from its democratic values under the Bharatiya Janata Party. "There is absolute political consensus within the Bharatiya Janata Party that India is culturally a Hindu country," Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-12-17/citizenship-law-moves-india-closer-to-being-hindu-country">Los Angeles Times</a>. Harish Pullanoor, an editor at Quartz India, <a href="https://qz.com/india/844672/along-with-narendra-modis-rise-india-has-displayed-classic-signs-that-foreshadow-fascism/">wrote</a> in 2016 that India was "displaying classic signs that foreshadow fascism," including the disenfranchisement of religious minorities. "The first appeal of a fascist or prematurely fascist movement is an appeal against the intruders," wrote Umberto Eco, an Italian philosopher, who wrote of a <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/1995/06/22/ur-fascism/">list of features</a> that define a fascist state.In April, several Muslim merchants in Old Delhi described fears of religiously-motivated violence against them. "I could be lynched right now and nobody would do anything about it," Abdul Adnan, a Muslim businessman, told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/11/world/asia/modi-india-elections.html">The New York Times</a>. "My government doesn't even consider me Indian. How can that be when my ancestors have lived here hundreds of years?"According to The Times, the consensus among Indian activists and liberal political analysts is that the country, under Modi, has become "more toxically divided between Hindus and Muslims.""In plain language, they are what we now call communal fascists," Aditya Mukherjee, a retired historian told The Times. Historian Ramachandra Guha wrote in an op-ed in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/14/india-was-miracle-democracy-its-time-downgrade-its-credentials/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/14/india-was-miracle-democracy-its-time-downgrade-its-credentials/">The Washington Post</a> in August that it was time to downgrade India's status as a world-class democracy. "Given the lack of any sort of credible opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the atmosphere of fear among religious minorities and the attacks on a free press, we are now a 40-60 democracy," he wrote of India.

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