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New Delhi, Dec. 15 (IANS): Residents and commuters in heart of the national capital ran for their lives as protests against the Citizenship Act turned violent on Sunday.
Four buses were set ablaze by a mob and two fire officials were injured in stone pelting as protests against the newly enacted Citizenship Act seized south Delhi area for almost an hour as arsonists vandalised and stone pelting mob ran amok threatening residents.
This on the third day of protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 in the national capital. Jamia students were not involved in the brawl, the varsity union promptly announced.
Shakti Singh, a resident of New Friend's colony (East) told IANS people were "so terrified by the protesters that many left their cars on the way and ran for their life".
Locals of the Sarai Julema in the Jamia Nagar clashed with police after trouble began over the organising of a protest against the Citizenship Act around afternoon. Billowing smokes were seen coming out of the red DTDC buses put on fire. Black clouds of smoke could be seen from Ashram Chowk, 4.3 kilometres away.
The situation turned critical when a bus was burned by the protestors and police got into action. A photographer was injured in the stone pelting that took place during the confrontation between protestors and police.
Singh pointed at a car and said: "This car had ladies in them, the family decided to ran away fearing that the protest will hurt them. Gates of the colony were closed immediately by the guards and protestors marched towards Gate No. 3."
As a precautionary measure, Delhi Police have advised all entry and exit gates of Sukhdev Vihar metro have been closed. At Ashram Gate metro, gate number 3 has been closed and security deployed.
The roads around the area have been closed to traffic since. All those injured in the commotion was rushed to Holy Family Hospital nearby.
Huge traffic snarls were experienced throughout south Delhi area, from Ashram to Friends Colony to Kalindi Kunj. Police diverted traffic from the vicinity as pitched battles continued.
For over an hour Mathura Road opposite New Friends Colony's both carriageways were blocked by demonstrators and Delhi Traffic Police tweeted that all movement was closed from Okhla Underpass to Sarita Vihar due to the demonstration.
"Motorists coming from Badarpur side are advised to take Modi Mill Flyover from CRRI towards Nehru Place& those coming from Ashram Chowk side are advised to take Ring Road, Moolchand Flyover & BRT Corridor or DND Flyover," it said.
Delhi Fire Chief, Atul Garg told IANS a call was made at 4.42 pm that buses were set ablaze. "We had sent four fire tenders which were also attacked by a violent mob," the official said. "Our vehicle was damaged and two firemen were injured. They are in hospital.
"There is so much mob accumulation in the area that we have failed to reach the spot, and the traffic jam has also added to the problem."
A statement issued by the Jamia Milia University said that students were not involved in the burning of buses. "It is done by some outsiders who want to disrupt the peace in the university and the locality around it."
Guwahati, Dec. 15 (PTI): Two more persons succumbed to gunshot wounds in Assam's Guwahati, taking the toll in police firing during violent protests against the citizenship law to four, officials said on Sunday.
Gauhati Medical College and Hospital Superintendent Ramen Talukdar told PTI that one person died on Saturday night and another person lost his life on Sunday morning. "Ishwar Nayak died last night and Abdul Alim succumbed to his injuries this morning," he said.
Twenty seven people were admitted to the hospital with bullet injuries since Wednesday, he added.
However, protesters claimed that five persons have died in police firing during the agitations against the contentious law.
Two persons, identified as Sam Stafford and Dipanjal Das, were shot dead on Thursday in Guwahati, which turned into a garrison town with Army, paramilitary and state police personnel present in every nook and corner.
However, protesters and All Assam Students' Union (AASU) have been claiming that three persons died of bullet injuries that day.
"They (government) have unleashed their oppressive machinery on people, killing five minor students and injuring many others with bullets. It is clear that the Sarbananda Sonowal government will be brought down," AASU President Dipanka Kumar Nath said.
New Delhi, Dec. 15 (IANS): If the monsoon session of Parliament created history by junking the controversial Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special powers to the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir, this winter session that ended this Friday became known for another equally controversial legislation - the Citizenship Amendment Bill, which now, after being passed by both the houses has become an Act.
What is the Citizenship (Amendment) Act?
This bill that now has become an Act makes it easier for the non-Muslim immigrants from India's three Muslim-majority neighbours -- Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan -- to become citizens of India. Though the Bill doesn't spell it out clearly, but the fact that it entitles Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians facing religious persecution in the three nations, to seek Indian citizenship, highlights the exclusion of Muslims.
This amendment is of the Citizenship Act, 1955 which requires the applicant to have resided in India for 11 of the previous 14 years. The amendment relaxes this requirement from 11 years to six years, for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from the three nations.
Who stands to benefit?
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act grants citizenship to the Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhist, Jains and Parsis -- from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who had arrived in India before December 31, 2014.
To put it simply, those belonging to these religions, coming in from the three countries stand a chance to become Indian, even if they don't have requisite documents. Moreover, they will not be deported for not having documents.
Also, the requirement for them to stay in India for at least 11 years before applying for Indian citizenship has been reduced to five years.
Why the protests?
There are two kinds of protests that are taking place across India right now, against the Act. In the northeast, the protest is against the Act's implementation in their areas. Most of them fear that if implemented, the Act will cause a rush of immigrants that may alter their demographic and linguistic uniqueness.
In the rest of India, like in Kerala, West Bengal and in Delhi, people are protesting against the exclusion of Muslims, alleging it to be against the ethos of the Constitution.
The exclusions
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act does not apply to tribal areas of Tripura, Mizoram, Assam and Meghalaya because of being included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Also areas that fall under the Inner Limit notified under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, will also be outside the Act's purview. This keeps almost entire Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland out of the ambit of the Act.
NRC link to the controversial Act
The NRC, which identified and eliminated illegal immigrants from Assam on Supreme Court orders, had been a longstanding demand of Assam. But ever since its implementation, there has been a growing demand for its nationwide implementation. BJP President and Home Minister Amit Shah raised the pitch for this during his election rallies.
As late as this October, Shah raised the matter in West Bengal, not far from Assam. He had said: "We had brought the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha, but the TMC MPs did not allow the Upper House to function. They did not allow the bill to be passed, and due to this, there are people in our country who are yet to get Indian citizenship."
But, what happened in Assam after the NRC implementation. After the updated final NRC in Assam was released on August 31 this year, it excluded the names of over 19 lakh applicants including Hindus. Now, the CAB will ensure they are not harmed.
In another rally in Bengal in April, Shah had given a peek into his larger plan, "After passing the Bill, we would bring the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, so that all the refugees get citizenship, and then we will bring the NRC to throw out each and every infiltrator."
As of now, the protests, some of them violent, have created a law and order situation. But even as the northeast and the rest of India join in the protests against the Act, the purpose of their protests are very different from each other.