CAA-NRC: This violence must stop
The government will have to do more to build trust. But the protesters must exercise restraint
The night of December 19 was a difficult one. I was apprehensive, confused and annoyed. If one believed posts on the social media, something “big” was going to happen in Uttar Pradesh (UP) the next day, after the Friday prayers. I was worried because I was planning to travel, on road, past Muzaffarnagar, with my family. Those who know UP are well aware of what the “Muzaffarnagar model” means politically. To be on the safe side, we started off early. As soon as we reached Ghaziabad, the phone signal and the Internet data connection went off. One could feel the tension in the air. Very few shops were open, and the usual crowd on the road was missing.
We heaved a sigh of relief when the car reached the Uttarakhand border. By the time we reached our destination, there was news of a violent conflict in Muzaffarnagar between the police and those protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). In UP, several people were killed that day. There were protests against the CAA and the NRC in Delhi’s Jamia Milia Islamia University, and in Lucknow, Kanpur, Sambhal, and Hyderabad. At the same time, there were peaceful protests led by activists, historians and film personalities. Some students even offered flowers to policemen during their protest march. These protests were unique, and a fascinating reflection of Gandhigiri. In Bengaluru, the eminent historian, Ramachandra Guha was detained. This was shocking. Guha had not violated Section 144; he was neither chanting slogans, nor was a part of any crowd. He was only holding a poster against the CAA.
The ongoing protests were another opportunity for the Opposition to up the ante against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. Although the government was struggling to maintain law and order, there was also an effort to dispel apprehensions on the CAA-NRC process by publishing advertisements. But these announcements did not cut ice with the protesters. Had they paid attention to these government explainers in the press, they might not have felt the need for such aggressive protests.
On December 20, the Union government gave another clarification. It clarified that anyone born in India before July 1, 1987, or whose parents were born before that date, is a bonafide Indian citizen, according to law, and need not worry about the CAA or a possible countrywide the NRC. The government also said that it was ready to accept suggestions on CAA, stressing that rules for implementation of the law were still in the making, and yet to be issued.on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi again tried to dispel doubts about the CAA and the NRC. But these explanations have failed to convince the protesters. The government will have to make more efforts to build trust on the issue.
More than 25 people have lost their lives in protests related to the CAA and the NRC. The burden of so many deaths is not good for any democracy. This may impact the image of the country. But the agitators will also have to understand that they will have to stop protesting, and that only discussions can lead to solutions. It’s also important to note here that it’s, now, not an issue of the resentment of one community. Political stalwarts have also started taking advantage of the ANTI-CAANRC protests. But this game is dangerous.
We must pay attention to another question: Who is trying to instigate these demonstrations? For example, the UP police claimed that they did not kill Mohammad Wakil in Lucknow. The postmortem report revealed that Wakil was shot with a .32 bore bullet. But the UP police doesn’t use this kind of bullet. Who, then, killed him? In the same way, how did the day-long peaceful protest in Delhi turn violent by the evening? Did someone with a sinister intention exploit the current situation? In this time of mistrust, it’s not difficult to accuse the police of wrongdoing. But if the police were lying, then why would they confirm the killing of 25 people?
Here’s a request for intellectuals. On Facebook, I read a post that claimed the present situation is similar to those in 1947. This is not true. To understand what I am saying, look at the events of 1991 and 1992. In those days, after the Babri mosque demolition, there were riots, and many people said that the days of harmonious brotherhood in our society were over. But this did not happen. If our country could forget the wounds of Partition, it can forget anything. We should rely on the sanity of our people. It is a testing time, not just for government, but for the citizenry too.