India’s northeastern state of Assam was rocked by protests Monday evening (Mar 11) as the federal government officially implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA). The act paves the way for granting citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The protests were led by an opposition bloc of 16 political parties, called United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA), which is led by the Congress party. The UOFA also called for a state-wide shutdown on Tuesday (Mar 12). All Assam Students' Union (AASU) declared it will challenge the legislation ‘in and outside court.’ It said its members will also travel to New Delhi to urge the central government to withdraw the CAA.

AASU protesters on Monday burnt copies of the Act and staged protest rallies in different parts of the state, including Guwahati, Kamrup, Barpeta, Lakhimpur, Nalbari, Dibrugarh, Golaghat and Tezpur.

<h2>Arguments against CAA</h2>

AASU and other political groups opposing the CAA say it will dilute the indigenous Assamese population by granting citizenship to a significant number of Hindu Bengali migrants who came from neighbouring Bangladesh during the 1971 war.

They also fear that the law would challenge their culture and undermine their languages and communities.

Watch:&nbsp;PM Modi Assam Visit: On Day 2, PM Modi visits Kaziranga National park in Assam

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AASU also led the intense protests against ‘foreigners’ between 1979 and 1985. The organisation says CAA would undermine the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, which promised to identify migrants as "foreigners" against the cut-off date of March 24, 1971.

Assam witnessed massive protests in 2019 when the legislation was passed by the Indian parliament.

<h2>‘Black day’</h2>

Chief of the Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP), a regional party that emerged from the anti-CAA agitation in 2019, termed Mar 11 as a black day. Lurinjyoti Gogoi also condemned the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) for ‘dividing people’ ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ved="2ahUKEwjV-LCm5-2EAxXVSWwGHZ-SDi4QxfQBKAB6BAgOEAE" href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-in-assam-set-to-inaugurate-projects-worth-21-bn-698203" jsname="YKoRaf" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-in-assam-set-to-inaugurate-projects-worth-21-bn-698203&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjV-LCm5-2EAxXVSWwGHZ-SDi4QxfQBKAB6BAgOEAE">WATCH | PM Modi visits Kaziranga National Park in Assam, takes elephant safari</a>

Meanwhile, the BJP says the protests are held by a faction of individuals and people of the country largely supported the government’s move.

<h2>Delhi police on high alert</h2>

Amid concerns of protests in the National Capital Region (NCR),&nbsp;Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) held flag march in Delhi's Seelampur area on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, opposition parties from Tamil Nadu state have voiced concerns about the implementation of CAA in the state, saying that the law will divide the people on religious lines.

<h2>Warning by Assam CM</h2>

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who hails from BJP, warned that any political party or group holding protests against CAA would be dealt with legal action. Sarma cited a Gauhati High Court order dated March 19, 2023, which said that "bandhs are illegal and unconstitutional".

Police have also issued a notice to UOFA against holding protests.

(With inputs from agencies)

India’s northeastern state of Assam was rocked by protests Monday evening (Mar 11) as the federal government officially implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA).

India’s northeastern state of Assam was rocked by protests Monday evening (Mar 11) as the federal government officially implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA). The act paves the way for granting citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The protests were led by an opposition bloc of 16 political parties, called United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA), which is led by the Congress party. The UOFA also called for a state-wide shutdown on Tuesday (Mar 12). All Assam Students' Union (AASU) declared it will challenge the legislation ‘in and outside court.’ It said its members will also travel to New Delhi to urge the central government to withdraw the CAA. AASU protesters on Monday burnt copies of the Act and staged protest rallies in different parts of the state, including Guwahati, Kamrup, Barpeta, Lakhimpur, Nalbari, Dibrugarh, Golaghat and Tezpur. Arguments against CAA AASU and other political groups opposing the CAA say it will dilute the indigenous Assamese population by granting citizenship to a significant number of Hindu Bengali migrants who came from neighbouring Bangladesh during the 1971 war. They also fear that the law would challenge their culture and undermine their languages and communities. Watch: PM Modi Assam Visit: On Day 2, PM Modi visits Kaziranga National park in Assam × AASU also led the intense protests against ‘foreigners’ between 1979 and 1985. The organisation says CAA would undermine the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, which promised to identify migrants as "foreigners" against the cut-off date of March 24, 1971. Assam witnessed massive protests in 2019 when the legislation was passed by the Indian parliament. ‘Black day’ Chief of the Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP), a regional party that emerged from the anti-CAA agitation in 2019, termed Mar 11 as a black day. Lurinjyoti Gogoi also condemned the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) for ‘dividing people’ ahead of Lok Sabha elections. Also read: WATCH | PM Modi visits Kaziranga National Park in Assam, takes elephant safari Meanwhile, the BJP says the protests are held by a faction of individuals and people of the country largely supported the government’s move. Delhi police on high alert Amid concerns of protests in the National Capital Region (NCR), Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) held flag march in Delhi's Seelampur area on Tuesday. Meanwhile, opposition parties from Tamil Nadu state have voiced concerns about the implementation of CAA in the state, saying that the law will divide the people on religious lines. Warning by Assam CM Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who hails from BJP, warned that any political party or group holding protests against CAA would be dealt with legal action. Sarma cited a Gauhati High Court order dated March 19, 2023, which said that "bandhs are illegal and unconstitutional". Police have also issued a notice to UOFA against holding protests. (With inputs from agencies)

Opposition calls for state-wide shutdown in India’s Assam against Citizenship Amendment Act

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled against the legality of the Shaheen Bagh protest, saying public spaces cannot be occupied indefinitely by protesters.

Shaheen Bagh Case: Public Places, Roads Can't be Occupied Indefinitely, Says Supreme Court

As the death toll in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-violence-high-court-allows-centre-as-party-in-case-seeking-fir-over-hate-speech-death-toll-rise-to-34-283109">Delhi </a>violence rose to 34 on Thursday, the ministry of external affairs appealed to the people not to make irresponsible comments.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-riots-government-under-fire-from-opposition-high-court-raps-police-and-cm-demands-army-deployment-283036">Also Read: Government under fire from Opposition, high court raps police and CM demands Army deployment</a>

"PM Modi himself has publicly appealed for peace and brotherhood," ministry of external affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar said in a statement.

"I would also like to refer to some statements which have come out, by agencies and individuals. We would urge that it is not the right time to make such irresponsible comments, it can create more problems than it would solve," the external affairs ministry spokesman said.

Watch Video:

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The Delhi violence is under instigation, Raveesh Kumar, the external affairs ministry spokesman said.

"What led to this, why this happened will, of course, be a matter of investigation," he said.

"The law enforcement agencies are working on the ground. They are working to bring the situation back to normal," Raveesh Kumar added.

The situation in north-east Delhi was brought under control with security forces carrying out flag march in Khajoori Khaas area which was affected by violence.

Meanwhile, the CBSE on Thursday, postponed some exams for class 10 and 12, scheduled for February 28th and 29th in north-east Delhi.

The Delhi Police said it had made 106 arrests and stated that more arrests will be made on the basis of CCTV footage recovered.

On OIC's statement on the violence, Raveesh Kumar said it is factually inaccurate, selective and misleading.&nbsp;

"There is an effort on the ground to restore normalcy and create confidence," the MEA spokesman said.

As the death toll in the Delhi violence rose to 34 on Thursday, the ministry of external affairs appealed to the people not to make irresponsible comments. Also Read: Government under fire from Opposition, high court raps police and CM demands Army deployment "PM Modi himself has publicly appealed for peace and brotherhood," ministry of external affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar said in a statement.

As the death toll in the Delhi violence rose to 34 on Thursday, the ministry of external affairs appealed to the people not to make irresponsible comments. Also Read: Government under fire from Opposition, high court raps police and CM demands Army deployment "PM Modi himself has publicly appealed for peace and brotherhood," ministry of external affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar said in a statement. "I would also like to refer to some statements which have come out, by agencies and individuals. We would urge that it is not the right time to make such irresponsible comments, it can create more problems than it would solve," the external affairs ministry spokesman said. Watch Video: The Delhi violence is under instigation, Raveesh Kumar, the external affairs ministry spokesman said. "What led to this, why this happened will, of course, be a matter of investigation," he said. "The law enforcement agencies are working on the ground. They are working to bring the situation back to normal," Raveesh Kumar added. The situation in north-east Delhi was brought under control with security forces carrying out flag march in Khajoori Khaas area which was affected by violence. Meanwhile, the CBSE on Thursday, postponed some exams for class 10 and 12, scheduled for February 28th and 29th in north-east Delhi. The Delhi Police said it had made 106 arrests and stated that more arrests will be made on the basis of CCTV footage recovered. On OIC's statement on the violence, Raveesh Kumar said it is factually inaccurate, selective and misleading. "There is an effort on the ground to restore normalcy and create confidence," the MEA spokesman said.

Delhi violence under investigation, effort underway to restore normalcy: MEA

As the death toll in the violence in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/caa-protests-10-dead-in-clashes-section-144-imposed-in-parts-of-north-east-delhi-282704">Delhi</a> rose to 24, the Supreme Court rebuked Delhi Police on Wednesday for failing to act "professionally" and to check "unfortunate incidents" of violence in north-east Delhi.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modis-heartfelt-appeal-to-people-of-delhi-after-fatal-clashes-282847">Also Read:&nbsp;PM Modi's heartfelt appeal to people of Delhi after fatal clashes</a>

With the violence continuing, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal speaking in the Delhi assembly appealed for calm while asserting that people do not want violence.

"All this has not been done by the 'aam aadmi'. This has been done by some anti-social, political and external elements. Hindus and Muslims in Delhi never want to fight," Kejriwal said in the Delhi assembly.

Watch Video:

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The Delhi chief minister also announced a compensation of 1 crore and a job for the family member of Delhi Police head constable Rattan Lal who had died as a result of the clashes in north-east Delhi.

At least 200 people have been injured in the violence which escalated last week.

Supreme Court came down heavily against the Delhi Police asserting that, "If somebody makes an inflammatory remark, police has to take action."

The top court told the law enforcement agencies that they should act "independently" as per law without waiting for somebody's nod.

The court, however, refused to take up pleas related to the riots over the CAA.&nbsp;

"We are not going into the applications related to the issue of violence. It is for the high court to look into the matter," it said.

As the death toll in the violence in Delhi rose to 24, the Supreme Court rebuked Delhi Police on Wednesday for failing to act "professionally" and to check "unfortunate incidents" of violence in north-east Delhi.

As the death toll in the violence in Delhi rose to 24, the Supreme Court rebuked Delhi Police on Wednesday for failing to act "professionally" and to check "unfortunate incidents" of violence in north-east Delhi. Also Read: PM Modi's heartfelt appeal to people of Delhi after fatal clashes With the violence continuing, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal speaking in the Delhi assembly appealed for calm while asserting that people do not want violence. "All this has not been done by the 'aam aadmi'. This has been done by some anti-social, political and external elements. Hindus and Muslims in Delhi never want to fight," Kejriwal said in the Delhi assembly. Watch Video: The Delhi chief minister also announced a compensation of 1 crore and a job for the family member of Delhi Police head constable Rattan Lal who had died as a result of the clashes in north-east Delhi. At least 200 people have been injured in the violence which escalated last week. Supreme Court came down heavily against the Delhi Police asserting that, "If somebody makes an inflammatory remark, police has to take action." The top court told the law enforcement agencies that they should act "independently" as per law without waiting for somebody's nod. The court, however, refused to take up pleas related to the riots over the CAA. "We are not going into the applications related to the issue of violence. It is for the high court to look into the matter," it said.

Supreme Court raps Delhi Police over violence

A drastic increase of&nbsp;stone-pelting incidents&nbsp;reported in the Maujpur area of the national capital resulted in the deployment of additional police personnel&nbsp;to maintain order and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/opposition-misleading-public-to-disrupt-law-and-order-over-caa-tamil-nadu-cm-palaniswami-281421" target="_blank">reduce the number of violent clashes</a>.

Stringent security measures precede fierce clashes in the area that resulted in 7 deaths on Monday. Police officers and Rapid Action Force personnel arrived at the scene following&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/road-at-shaheen-bagh-opened-by-group-of-protesters-blocked-again-police-282148" target="_blank">multiple incidents of stone-pelting</a>&nbsp;in Brahampuri and Maujpur area.

Law enforcement officials conducted a flag march in these areas after clashes broke out.

Watch:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/a-person-open-fires-at-shaheen-bagh-shouting-sirf-hinduon-ki-chalegi-278057" target="_blank">A person open fires at Shaheen Bagh shouting "Sirf Hinduon Ki Chalegi"</a>

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&nbsp;The events have received bipartisan condemnation on social media, as Lt. Governor Baijal tweeted, “Instructed @DelhiPolice and @CPDelhito ensure that law and order is maintained in North East Delhi. The situation is being closely monitored. I urge everyone to exercise restraint.”

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Instructed <a href="https://twitter.com/DelhiPolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DelhiPolice</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/CPDelhi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CPDelhi</a> to ensure that law and order is maintained in North East Delhi. The situation is being closely monitored. I urge everyone to exercise restraint for maintenance of peace and harmony.
— LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/LtGovDelhi/status/1231887820861521920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Leader of the Indian National Congress, Rahul Gandhi, tweeted, "The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/latest-india-news-third-firing-incident-takes-place-at-jamia-milia-islamia-278235" target="_blank">violence today in Delhi is disturbing</a>&nbsp;and must be unequivocally condemned... I urge the citizens of Delhi to show restraint, compassion and understanding no matter what the provocation,"

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The violence today in Delhi is disturbing &amp; must be unequivocally condemned. Peaceful protests are a sign of a healthy democracy, but violence can never be justified. I urge the citizens of Delhi to show restraint, compassion &amp; understanding no matter what the provocation.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1231928862365241344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/one-policeman-killed-in-clashes-during-caa-protests-in-delhi-282424" target="_blank">One policeman killed in clashes during CAA protests in Delhi</a>
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Rattan Lal, a Police Head Constable was among the 7 who had lost their lives in the clashes. More than 100 people have been reportedly injured in the clashes between groups that favour and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/shaheen-bagh-protesters-try-to-march-to-home-ministers-residence-stopped-by-police-280992" target="_blank">groups that oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act</a>&nbsp;in North-East Delhi.

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&nbsp;Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting on Monday with senior Delhi Police officers and top Home Ministry officials to review the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/rajinikanth-comes-out-in-support-of-caa-npr-says-youth-being-misled-into-protests-278734" target="_blank">law and order situation in Delhi</a>. All government and private schools in northeast Delhi are reportedly closed on Tuesday, as per tweets from Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
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A drastic increase of stone-pelting incidents reported in the Maujpur area of the national capital resulted in the deployment of additional police personnel to maintain order and reduce the number of violent clashes.

A drastic increase of stone-pelting incidents reported in the Maujpur area of the national capital resulted in the deployment of additional police personnel to maintain order and reduce the number of violent clashes. Stringent security measures precede fierce clashes in the area that resulted in 7 deaths on Monday. Police officers and Rapid Action Force personnel arrived at the scene following multiple incidents of stone-pelting in Brahampuri and Maujpur area. Law enforcement officials conducted a flag march in these areas after clashes broke out. Watch: A person open fires at Shaheen Bagh shouting "Sirf Hinduon Ki Chalegi" The events have received bipartisan condemnation on social media, as Lt. Governor Baijal tweeted, “Instructed @DelhiPolice and @CPDelhito ensure that law and order is maintained in North East Delhi. The situation is being closely monitored. I urge everyone to exercise restraint.” Instructed @DelhiPolice and @CPDelhi to ensure that law and order is maintained in North East Delhi. The situation is being closely monitored. I urge everyone to exercise restraint for maintenance of peace and harmony. — LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) February 24, 2020 × Leader of the Indian National Congress, Rahul Gandhi, tweeted, "The violence today in Delhi is disturbing and must be unequivocally condemned... I urge the citizens of Delhi to show restraint, compassion and understanding no matter what the provocation," The violence today in Delhi is disturbing & must be unequivocally condemned. Peaceful protests are a sign of a healthy democracy, but violence can never be justified. I urge the citizens of Delhi to show restraint, compassion & understanding no matter what the provocation. — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 24, 2020 × Also Read: One policeman killed in clashes during CAA protests in Delhi Rattan Lal, a Police Head Constable was among the 7 who had lost their lives in the clashes. More than 100 people have been reportedly injured in the clashes between groups that favour and groups that oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act in North-East Delhi. Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting on Monday with senior Delhi Police officers and top Home Ministry officials to review the law and order situation in Delhi. All government and private schools in northeast Delhi are reportedly closed on Tuesday, as per tweets from Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

CAA: Death toll rises to seven as Maujpur witnesses heavy security

Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Tuesday called for peace and harmony in the national capital amid the ongoing violence in Delhi between pro and anti CAA protestors, which has led to the death of seven people.

Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Tuesday called for peace and harmony in the national capital amid the ongoing violence in Delhi between pro and anti CAA protestors, which has led to the death of seven people. "Both the Chief Minister (Arvind Kejriwal) and I want that peace and harmony should remain intact in Delhi. We should do everything possible to maintain peace and order," he said while speaking to media in New Delhi. Also Read: Following CAA violence, Maujpur witnesses heavy security measures The Delhi Lieutenant Governor also stressed upon working in coordination with the Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal to help the police to curb violence. "We (Centre and Delhi government) should also help Police in this," he said. The Delhi Chief Minister had also told media earlier in the day that discussion with Amit Shah was "positive" and said all political parties have stressed upon restoring peace. Also Read: One policeman killed in clashes during CAA protests in Delhi "It was decided in the meeting that all the political parties will take requisite steps to restore peace in Delhi. The meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah was positive," CM Kejriwal had said. Seven people, including one police head constable, have lost their lives and over 100 have been injured in North-East Delhi in two days after clashes broke out between pro and anti CAA protestors.

Anil Baijal calls for peace in Delhi, amid continued violence

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday chaired a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik and other political leaders regarding the violence and prevailing situation in North East Delhi areas.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday chaired a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik and other political leaders regarding the violence and prevailing situation in North East Delhi areas. Congress leader Subhash Chopra, BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari, Rambir Singh Bidhuri and others are also present in the meeting. Also Read: 19 in police custody for pelting stones at law enforcement in UP's Azamgarh As many as seven persons were killed and over 100 injured in violent incidents reported from the North-East district of the national capital on Monday, police said. The violence occurred after clashes took place between the pro and anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters at various places in the area on Monday. Also Read: Third firing incident takes place within a week amid anti-CAA protests in Delhi A statement from the Delhi Police said, "A total of seven deaths were reported - one police personnel and six civilians have lost their lives." Union Home Minister Amit Shah also held a meeting late Monday night with senior Delhi Police officers and top Home Ministry officials on the prevailing law and order situation in the national capital.

Amit Shah chairs meet with Kejriwal, others to discuss situation in Delhi

After a video, purportedly showing police personnel assaulting students at the Jamia Millia Islamia University library on the night of December 15 amid anti-citizenship law protests in the area, surfaced on social media, Delhi Police said it will investigate the matter.

After a video, purportedly showing police personnel assaulting students at the Jamia Millia Islamia University library on the night of December 15 amid anti-citizenship law protests in the area, surfaced on social media, Delhi Police said it will investigate the matter. "We have taken cognizance of the latest video (of December 15) of Jamia Millia Islamia University (library) which has surfaced now, we will investigate it," Delhi Police Special Commissioner (Crime) Praveer Ranjan said while speaking to media persons here. The video shows policemen in riot gear can be seen barging into the library and beating students with batons. Watch: Jamia, Delhi: Second shooting on Anti-CAA protesters in less than a week The students studying in the reading hall of the campus were also pushed outside the hall. On December 15, the Delhi Police had thrown teargas shells inside the campus. The action followed a day of protests where some protesters - Jamia has maintained these were outsiders and not students - set buses and vehicles on fire in some parts of South Delhi.

'We will investigate': Delhi Police on Jamia library video showing students being assaulted

Firing continues against the ongoing Anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests in the capital Delhi. In a third such incident, a gunshot was fired again outside the Jamia Millia Islamia University in south Delhi on Sunday night. Two suspects of firing, one of whom was wearing a red jacket, came on a scooter and fired outside gate number 5. The Jamia Coordination Committee, which is participating in the protest against the amended citizenship law, said no one was injured in the incident.

Jamia, Delhi: Second shooting on Anti-CAA protesters in less than a week

Its a diplomatic victory for India. The vote on 6 anti-CAA resolutions in the European Parliament has been postponed to March. Palki S Upadhyay tells you want went down at the plenary session in Brussels.

Gravitas: EU postpones voting on anti-CAA resolutions

Firing incident in Jamia has taken the sheen of the BJP government. What started as a protest reflecting the anxiety felt by the minority community has become a statement on what the Indian Constitution stands for. What was being ridiculed as an endless protest received a shot in its arm when a religious bigot fired a shot adjacent to the protest site, amplifying ugly face of reverse polarisation which the government is attempting to do because it cannot see beyond electoral politics.

As electoral politics has become the start and end of the government, anything which can deliver voters to the booth has become acceptable. It is for this reason no disciplinary action has been taken against Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma. That is the bad part.

The good part is that protests have been able to draw attention to the nuance of Gandhi’s politics. Earlier, Shaheen Bagh protesters came under attack for heckling the journalist and not letting them enter the venue. I, as a fellow journalist, disagree with this approach as protests cannot be exclusionary even if it means that reporters or editors hold a different view on the subject. They should have been allowed to report and move inside the venue.

But Thursday’s firing has changed all that. The firing is a rude reminder that BJP’s commitment to Gandhi’s politics seems limited to Rajghat or Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was a masterstroke on part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was able to break the biggest stigma which continues to hurt RSS and that being its ideology was behind assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

By embracing Gandhi and taking him out of school textbooks and seminar halls, Modi was able to blunt Opposition’s ideological edge. Congress was not able to attack Modi because he utilised Gandhi as a campaign to mobilise people for important civic issues like cleanliness which struck a chord with the electorate.

It allowed BJP to ignore other facets of Gandhi’s politics especially his focus on Hindu-Muslim unity during his last days. The present event has almost reversed the wheel. The challenge posed by Shaheen Bagh is that it has snatched Gandhi’s imagination of India from Prime Minister who very carefully took it away from the Congress Party post-2014 Lok Sabha elections through multiple social campaigns. Today the most important aspect of Gandhi, which is peace and religious harmony, rests with the Shaheen Bagh protesters.

This should worry the Prime Minister as many would now challenge his practice of Gandhi as cosmetic and divorced from Gandhi’s real message. The violence blunts his incorporation of Gandhi into BJP-RSS discourse which has already absorbed a number of pre-colonial Congress leaders.

Shaheen Bagh protest should not be evaluated from the perspective of electoral impact. It would be a disservice. It should be seen from the perspective of right or wrong. It has brought the debate on Constitution and citizenship to the centrestage of Indian politics.

PM’s effort to bring Gandhi out of seminars and school books was a welcome move but by not embracing his approach on Hindu Muslim unity it will end up becoming his Achilles heel as Gandhi cannot be absorbed in bits and pieces. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

Firing incident in Jamia has taken the sheen of the BJP government. What started as a protest reflecting the anxiety felt by the minority community has become a statement on what the Indian Constitution stands for.

Firing incident in Jamia has taken the sheen of the BJP government. What started as a protest reflecting the anxiety felt by the minority community has become a statement on what the Indian Constitution stands for. What was being ridiculed as an endless protest received a shot in its arm when a religious bigot fired a shot adjacent to the protest site, amplifying ugly face of reverse polarisation which the government is attempting to do because it cannot see beyond electoral politics. As electoral politics has become the start and end of the government, anything which can deliver voters to the booth has become acceptable. It is for this reason no disciplinary action has been taken against Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma. That is the bad part. The good part is that protests have been able to draw attention to the nuance of Gandhi’s politics. Earlier, Shaheen Bagh protesters came under attack for heckling the journalist and not letting them enter the venue. I, as a fellow journalist, disagree with this approach as protests cannot be exclusionary even if it means that reporters or editors hold a different view on the subject. They should have been allowed to report and move inside the venue. But Thursday’s firing has changed all that. The firing is a rude reminder that BJP’s commitment to Gandhi’s politics seems limited to Rajghat or Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was a masterstroke on part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was able to break the biggest stigma which continues to hurt RSS and that being its ideology was behind assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. By embracing Gandhi and taking him out of school textbooks and seminar halls, Modi was able to blunt Opposition’s ideological edge. Congress was not able to attack Modi because he utilised Gandhi as a campaign to mobilise people for important civic issues like cleanliness which struck a chord with the electorate. It allowed BJP to ignore other facets of Gandhi’s politics especially his focus on Hindu-Muslim unity during his last days. The present event has almost reversed the wheel. The challenge posed by Shaheen Bagh is that it has snatched Gandhi’s imagination of India from Prime Minister who very carefully took it away from the Congress Party post-2014 Lok Sabha elections through multiple social campaigns. Today the most important aspect of Gandhi, which is peace and religious harmony, rests with the Shaheen Bagh protesters. This should worry the Prime Minister as many would now challenge his practice of Gandhi as cosmetic and divorced from Gandhi’s real message. The violence blunts his incorporation of Gandhi into BJP-RSS discourse which has already absorbed a number of pre-colonial Congress leaders. Shaheen Bagh protest should not be evaluated from the perspective of electoral impact. It would be a disservice. It should be seen from the perspective of right or wrong. It has brought the debate on Constitution and citizenship to the centrestage of Indian politics. PM’s effort to bring Gandhi out of seminars and school books was a welcome move but by not embracing his approach on Hindu Muslim unity it will end up becoming his Achilles heel as Gandhi cannot be absorbed in bits and pieces. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Has Mahatma Gandhi become BJP’s Achilles heel?

Hate speech is not free speech and the right to defend one’s idea should not end up vilifying the other community. The statements which came from Union Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur and Delhi MP Jag Parvesh Chandra were a classic example of hate speech for the electoral end.&nbsp;

The only thing that happened was that both of them were dropped from campaigning in Delhi following the order of the Election Commission of India (ECI ) as star campaigners of the BJP.

Parvesh Chandra othered Muslims and accused them as predatory whereas Anurag Thakur allowed people to chant 'death to traitors'. Both of them indulged in hate speech which portrayed minorities as anti-national and unreliable.

These steps are cosmetic and do not hide the basic thinking within the party which is premised around othering Muslims and marking protests as illegitimate. This ugliness further draws strength from Leftist response which has failed to absorb resurgence of nationalism in daily life. It ends up vilifying institutions like the Army or the state in general.&nbsp;

Such politics pushes people to take a stand on silly controversies which are not related to bread and butter issues. The silence of senior BJP leaders on such issues is a repetition of the narrative leading to the demolition of Babri Mosque. The seniors remained silent on verbal poison while junior leaders lampooned anything and anyone they liked. The progression of this politics has happened with the marriage of idea of aggressive Hinduism with liberal use of sedition laws.

A school in Karnataka has recently been booked under sedition laws by the BJP state government because the play enacted by the students portrayed Narendra Modi in a bad light. Question is, since when it has become a crime in the country to charge a politician? Wasn’t’ Rajiv Gandhi accused of corruption? Wasn’t Nehru accused of dereliction of duty after losing war with China? Wasn’t Narasimha Rao blamed for the demolition of Babri Masjid? Wasn’t Vajpayee blamed for disastrous Kargil and Kandahar episode and not to forget inaction during Gujarat riots? Wasn’t Advani blamed for Parliament attack? Wasn’t Manmohan Singh vilified and attacked after tragic Mumbai terror attack? All these leaders were attacked and abused personally but not once anyone thought at that point of time that one may get booked under the sedition law for attacking the leadership of the country.

Ironically, it is being argued that since it works for the BJP electorally, it is good to go. Like Shamshan and Kabristan worked for BJP in 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. The debate does not address the issue of right and wrong in politics but what works or not. This approach can work in short-run, but will have disastrous consequences in long.

It has emboldened people to break codes of decency in public life and made it cool for people at large to talk in terms of communities which is so tragic because the first Lok Sabha election was fought against the very issues. India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru campaigned on the issue of secularism and spoke against regionalism, linguistic politics, casteism and communalism. It was perhaps the only election which was fought on the vision of Constitution drafted by the founding father of the young nation.

&nbsp;After 70 years, India continues to wrestle with the idea of nationhood. It has become so contested that it has started to tear India’s social fabric apart. It's&nbsp;time that the vision of the Constitution is not sacrificed at the altar of electoral politics. BJP’s othering of Muslims for an electoral reason and hard Left’s irresponsible response on cultural and religious issues has torn India’s Centre apart. It is forcing people to take sides on stupid issues. It is pushing the boundary of civil conduct in public life. The politics is getting subservient to the social media echo chamber and it has started to impact the Indian economy too.

It cannot be expected of BJP to arrest othering of 18 crore people in India. Party is too trapped in the logic of electoral politics to create a new consensus. Congress is to adrift and still ideologically unclear on basic issues of economy and cultural politics.

The balance must be regained by the civil society itself which has acquired the capacity to create public opinion. The public cannot be held hostage to hate speech in the name of free speech which is vitiating political discourse on a daily basis.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Hate speech is not free speech and the right to defend one’s idea should not end up vilifying the other community. The statements which came from Union Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur and Delhi MP Jag Parvesh Chandra were a classic example of hate speech for the electoral end.

Hate speech is not free speech and the right to defend one’s idea should not end up vilifying the other community. The statements which came from Union Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur and Delhi MP Jag Parvesh Chandra were a classic example of hate speech for the electoral end. The only thing that happened was that both of them were dropped from campaigning in Delhi following the order of the Election Commission of India (ECI ) as star campaigners of the BJP. Parvesh Chandra othered Muslims and accused them as predatory whereas Anurag Thakur allowed people to chant 'death to traitors'. Both of them indulged in hate speech which portrayed minorities as anti-national and unreliable. These steps are cosmetic and do not hide the basic thinking within the party which is premised around othering Muslims and marking protests as illegitimate. This ugliness further draws strength from Leftist response which has failed to absorb resurgence of nationalism in daily life. It ends up vilifying institutions like the Army or the state in general. Such politics pushes people to take a stand on silly controversies which are not related to bread and butter issues. The silence of senior BJP leaders on such issues is a repetition of the narrative leading to the demolition of Babri Mosque. The seniors remained silent on verbal poison while junior leaders lampooned anything and anyone they liked. The progression of this politics has happened with the marriage of idea of aggressive Hinduism with liberal use of sedition laws. A school in Karnataka has recently been booked under sedition laws by the BJP state government because the play enacted by the students portrayed Narendra Modi in a bad light. Question is, since when it has become a crime in the country to charge a politician? Wasn’t’ Rajiv Gandhi accused of corruption? Wasn’t Nehru accused of dereliction of duty after losing war with China? Wasn’t Narasimha Rao blamed for the demolition of Babri Masjid? Wasn’t Vajpayee blamed for disastrous Kargil and Kandahar episode and not to forget inaction during Gujarat riots? Wasn’t Advani blamed for Parliament attack? Wasn’t Manmohan Singh vilified and attacked after tragic Mumbai terror attack? All these leaders were attacked and abused personally but not once anyone thought at that point of time that one may get booked under the sedition law for attacking the leadership of the country. Ironically, it is being argued that since it works for the BJP electorally, it is good to go. Like Shamshan and Kabristan worked for BJP in 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. The debate does not address the issue of right and wrong in politics but what works or not. This approach can work in short-run, but will have disastrous consequences in long. It has emboldened people to break codes of decency in public life and made it cool for people at large to talk in terms of communities which is so tragic because the first Lok Sabha election was fought against the very issues. India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru campaigned on the issue of secularism and spoke against regionalism, linguistic politics, casteism and communalism. It was perhaps the only election which was fought on the vision of Constitution drafted by the founding father of the young nation. After 70 years, India continues to wrestle with the idea of nationhood. It has become so contested that it has started to tear India’s social fabric apart. It's time that the vision of the Constitution is not sacrificed at the altar of electoral politics. BJP’s othering of Muslims for an electoral reason and hard Left’s irresponsible response on cultural and religious issues has torn India’s Centre apart. It is forcing people to take sides on stupid issues. It is pushing the boundary of civil conduct in public life. The politics is getting subservient to the social media echo chamber and it has started to impact the Indian economy too. It cannot be expected of BJP to arrest othering of 18 crore people in India. Party is too trapped in the logic of electoral politics to create a new consensus. Congress is to adrift and still ideologically unclear on basic issues of economy and cultural politics. The balance must be regained by the civil society itself which has acquired the capacity to create public opinion. The public cannot be held hostage to hate speech in the name of free speech which is vitiating political discourse on a daily basis. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Hate speech is not free speech

In the face of repeated assertion by Home Minister Amit Shah and various other BJP leaders that the Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) will not be withdrawn, Tamil Nadu's opposition party the DMK and its allies have decided to hold a state-wide Signature campaign against the CAA and the implementation of National Population Register.&nbsp;

In an all-party meeting held at the DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam, the opposition parties in the state have resolved to demand the withdrawal of "anti-people" CAA, prevent the commencement of NRC processes and disallow the NPR activities from being conducted in Tamil Nadu, DMK Chief Stalin said.&nbsp;

"We have taken a resolution to conduct a statewide signature campaign from February 2nd to February 8th in this regard. Beyond those that are politically inclined and are taking part in this campaign, we urge students and common people to take part in this campaign. We aim to seek the appointment of the President of India and submit the signatures to him" said MK Stalin.&nbsp;

When asked about Home Minister Amit Shah having emphasized that the central government "wouldn't move back an inch on CAA", Stalin retorted, "let Amit Shah say what he wants, we will continue to show our disapproval"

On social reformer Periyar's statue that was vandalized in Chengalpet district, near Chennai, Stalin stated that these incidents are "happening continuously" and that Periyar had stood up for the Tamil race for 95 years, it was painful and embarrassing that such incidents are taking place. He demanded that the government take necessary action against the perpetrators.&nbsp;

The DMK-ed alliance also urged the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu to take up a cabinet decision against the implementation of NPR in Tamil Nadu.

In the face of repeated assertion by Home Minister Amit Shah and various other BJP leaders that the Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) will not be withdrawn, Tamil Nadu's opposition party the DMK and its allies have decided to hold a state-wide Signature campaign against the CAA and the implementation of National Population Register.

In the face of repeated assertion by Home Minister Amit Shah and various other BJP leaders that the Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) will not be withdrawn, Tamil Nadu's opposition party the DMK and its allies have decided to hold a state-wide Signature campaign against the CAA and the implementation of National Population Register. In an all-party meeting held at the DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam, the opposition parties in the state have resolved to demand the withdrawal of "anti-people" CAA, prevent the commencement of NRC processes and disallow the NPR activities from being conducted in Tamil Nadu, DMK Chief Stalin said. "We have taken a resolution to conduct a statewide signature campaign from February 2nd to February 8th in this regard. Beyond those that are politically inclined and are taking part in this campaign, we urge students and common people to take part in this campaign. We aim to seek the appointment of the President of India and submit the signatures to him" said MK Stalin. When asked about Home Minister Amit Shah having emphasized that the central government "wouldn't move back an inch on CAA", Stalin retorted, "let Amit Shah say what he wants, we will continue to show our disapproval" On social reformer Periyar's statue that was vandalized in Chengalpet district, near Chennai, Stalin stated that these incidents are "happening continuously" and that Periyar had stood up for the Tamil race for 95 years, it was painful and embarrassing that such incidents are taking place. He demanded that the government take necessary action against the perpetrators. The DMK-ed alliance also urged the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu to take up a cabinet decision against the implementation of NPR in Tamil Nadu.

Let Amit shah say what he wants; we will oppose CAA; DMK, allies launch Signature campaign

Supreme Court will hear around 144 petitions on Wednesday related to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), including petitions challenging the constitutional validity of CAA and transfer petitions filed by the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/caa-and-nrc-protests-addressing-concerns-of-protesters-a-must-for-government-268749">Central Government</a>.

Popular Front of India (PFI) national secretary Anis Ahmed has also filed a PIL in the Apex Court <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/after-kerala-punjab-now-maharashtra-mulls-resolution-against-citizenship-amendment-act-275185">challenging the new legislation</a>, which trigged protests across several parts of the country.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde, Justice S Abdul Nazeer and Justice Sanjiv Khanna will hear the pleas will hear Ahmed's petition with several other pleas against CAA listed for hearing today.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="wionews.com/opinions-blogs/how-citizenship-amendment-act-caa-is-different-from-nrc-and-npr-274608">How Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is different from NRC and NPR</a>

<img alt="Anti-CAA Protests" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9dc20b50-900c-4b13-a811-b786a6ec59f0" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2843%29_4.jpg" /> 
[&nbsp;Demonstrators carry flags and placards as they attend a protest rally against a new citizenship law (Courtesy: Reuters) ]

Ahmed, in his petition, challenged not only the CAA but also the amendments made to related legislation, rules and orders. He stated religion has never been a criterion for citizenship.

"However, as a result of the CAA, only Muslims run the risk of losing citizenship on account of their religion. The impugned legislation sets the criterion of religion for the purposes of granting or denying citizenship. That is not conducive to the constitutional ideals, such as justice, equality, liberty and fraternity, unity and integrity of the country," read the petition.

Anis Ahmed stated that the CAA is "wholly destructive, divisive and dangerous to the harmonious living of the citizens of India". The PIL also states that "The Articles 2, 3, 7, 15 and 18 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR to which India is a party, mandates that there shall not be any discrimination on the ground of religion."

"Unfortunately, the impugned legislations are wholly unjust, arbitrary, discriminatory, and unconstitutional and against the international Declarations/Covenants adopted by the United Nations Organization, wherein India is a member," read a press release by PFI.

The PIL also sought to declare Rule 4(1)(ha) of the Passport (Entry into India) Rules 1950, para 3A of the Foreigners Order, 1948 and the CAA as "unconstitutional and to strike down those legislations".

Supreme Court will hear around 144 petitions on Wednesday related to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), including petitions challenging the constitutional validity of CAA and transfer petitions filed by the Central Government.

Supreme Court will hear around 144 petitions on Wednesday related to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), including petitions challenging the constitutional validity of CAA and transfer petitions filed by the Central Government. Popular Front of India (PFI) national secretary Anis Ahmed has also filed a PIL in the Apex Court challenging the new legislation, which trigged protests across several parts of the country. A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde, Justice S Abdul Nazeer and Justice Sanjiv Khanna will hear the pleas will hear Ahmed's petition with several other pleas against CAA listed for hearing today. Also Read: How Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is different from NRC and NPR [ Demonstrators carry flags and placards as they attend a protest rally against a new citizenship law (Courtesy: Reuters) ] Ahmed, in his petition, challenged not only the CAA but also the amendments made to related legislation, rules and orders. He stated religion has never been a criterion for citizenship. "However, as a result of the CAA, only Muslims run the risk of losing citizenship on account of their religion. The impugned legislation sets the criterion of religion for the purposes of granting or denying citizenship. That is not conducive to the constitutional ideals, such as justice, equality, liberty and fraternity, unity and integrity of the country," read the petition. Anis Ahmed stated that the CAA is "wholly destructive, divisive and dangerous to the harmonious living of the citizens of India". The PIL also states that "The Articles 2, 3, 7, 15 and 18 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR to which India is a party, mandates that there shall not be any discrimination on the ground of religion." "Unfortunately, the impugned legislations are wholly unjust, arbitrary, discriminatory, and unconstitutional and against the international Declarations/Covenants adopted by the United Nations Organization, wherein India is a member," read a press release by PFI. The PIL also sought to declare Rule 4(1)(ha) of the Passport (Entry into India) Rules 1950, para 3A of the Foreigners Order, 1948 and the CAA as "unconstitutional and to strike down those legislations".

SC to hear around 144 petitions on CAA; petitions challenge constitutional validity of CAA

At a time when Citizenship Amendment ACT (CAA), is debated in the country, not much attention has been paid to its external implications. The Act grants citizenship to all religious minority migrants except Muslims from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who have come to India before December 31, 2014.

With a good section of students, youths and Muslim community continue to hold protest against CAA for more than a month, the issue has begun to draw international attention. The United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) has already called the ACT as ‘fundamentally discriminatory’. US Congress has also raised its concern over the discriminatory nature of the ACT. Within the Muslim world, a sharp reaction came from Malaysia and Turkey to the extent of condemning the Act, while Bangladesh refused to send their Foreign Minister and Finance Minister as a mark of protest. With the foreign media continuously focusing on the issue, there is a disquiet emerging within the Arab world with against the Modi government.

One needs to recall here that when the Modi government abolished the Article 370 and changed the status of Jammu and Kashmir from full statehood to Union Territory, the world did not pay heed to Pakistan’s outcry on the subject matter and considered the issue as ‘internal matter’ of the government of India. However, the goodwill that PM Modi has generated in the last five years in the global arena is losing its momentum. One of the clear indicators of this trend is convening of the meeting of Foreign Ministers of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC ) over Kashmir by Saudi Arabia. This is not a good sign for Indian foreign policy as this would give a fillip to the internationalisation of Kashmir issue and would also hinder the Indian efforts of isolating Pakistan.

Another ominous sign is that both Saudi Arabia and UAE has slowed down the promises of investment in India. Both are important trade partners to India and the major sources of hydrocarbon products for the Indian market. Along with remittances, the Gulf is a critical element for India’s economic stability and growth trajectory. From different sources, it appears that Saudi Arabia has planned to invest 100 billion dollars in many sectors of Indian economy including petrochemicals refinery, infrastructure and mining among others. Oil giant Saudi Aramco has two major investment plans in the country: strategic investment in the greenfield petroleum refinery in Maharashtra and a $15 billion worth 20 per cent stake acquisition in the refining and petrochemicals business of Reliance Industries (RIL).&nbsp;

When the Indian economy is already in bad shape and possibly heading towards recession, any negative fall&nbsp;in terms of India’s relationship with West Asia would have a crippling effect on its economy. It is, therefore, imperative that either the Modi government undertake a course correction to CAA or effectively reach out to the outside world&nbsp;with facts and convincing arguments that CAA is not discriminatory and is not intended to deprive the Indian Muslims of its citizenship rights. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

(Views expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

At a time when Citizenship Amendment ACT (CAA), is debated in the country, not much attention has been paid to its external implications. The Act grants citizenship to all religious minority migrants except Muslims from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who have come to India before December 31, 2014.

At a time when Citizenship Amendment ACT (CAA), is debated in the country, not much attention has been paid to its external implications. The Act grants citizenship to all religious minority migrants except Muslims from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who have come to India before December 31, 2014. With a good section of students, youths and Muslim community continue to hold protest against CAA for more than a month, the issue has begun to draw international attention. The United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) has already called the ACT as ‘fundamentally discriminatory’. US Congress has also raised its concern over the discriminatory nature of the ACT. Within the Muslim world, a sharp reaction came from Malaysia and Turkey to the extent of condemning the Act, while Bangladesh refused to send their Foreign Minister and Finance Minister as a mark of protest. With the foreign media continuously focusing on the issue, there is a disquiet emerging within the Arab world with against the Modi government. One needs to recall here that when the Modi government abolished the Article 370 and changed the status of Jammu and Kashmir from full statehood to Union Territory, the world did not pay heed to Pakistan’s outcry on the subject matter and considered the issue as ‘internal matter’ of the government of India. However, the goodwill that PM Modi has generated in the last five years in the global arena is losing its momentum. One of the clear indicators of this trend is convening of the meeting of Foreign Ministers of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC ) over Kashmir by Saudi Arabia. This is not a good sign for Indian foreign policy as this would give a fillip to the internationalisation of Kashmir issue and would also hinder the Indian efforts of isolating Pakistan. Another ominous sign is that both Saudi Arabia and UAE has slowed down the promises of investment in India. Both are important trade partners to India and the major sources of hydrocarbon products for the Indian market. Along with remittances, the Gulf is a critical element for India’s economic stability and growth trajectory. From different sources, it appears that Saudi Arabia has planned to invest 100 billion dollars in many sectors of Indian economy including petrochemicals refinery, infrastructure and mining among others. Oil giant Saudi Aramco has two major investment plans in the country: strategic investment in the greenfield petroleum refinery in Maharashtra and a $15 billion worth 20 per cent stake acquisition in the refining and petrochemicals business of Reliance Industries (RIL). When the Indian economy is already in bad shape and possibly heading towards recession, any negative fall in terms of India’s relationship with West Asia would have a crippling effect on its economy. It is, therefore, imperative that either the Modi government undertake a course correction to CAA or effectively reach out to the outside world with facts and convincing arguments that CAA is not discriminatory and is not intended to deprive the Indian Muslims of its citizenship rights. (Views expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Analysing global response to India's Citizenship Amendment ACT

Congress, on Monday, called for&nbsp;the opposition parties for a&nbsp;meeting&nbsp;to discuss the political dynamics and current situation of the country which <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/just-look-up-you-will-find-cctvs-on-every-lane-sisodia-to-shah-272797">Aam Aadmi Party</a>, Bahujan Samaj Party and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/trinamool-congress-supremo-mamata-banerjee-to-boycott-opposition-meet-in-delhi-273257">Trinamool Congress</a> are not likely to attend.&nbsp;

Discussions will be held on several issues including the amended <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/opposition-playing-political-games-over-citizenship-amendment-act-says-prime-minister-narendra-modi-273683">Citizenship Amendment Act</a> (CAA), National Population Register (NPR), National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the violence in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/jnu-jamia-students-need-our-support-says-cong-leader-shashi-tharoor-273821">Jawaharlal Nehru University</a> (JNU) during the meeting scheduled to be held in Parliament annexe at 2 pm. 
 
Trinamool Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party and Aam Aadmi Party will not be taking part in the meeting.

Citing "betrayal" by Congress in Rajasthan, BSP chief <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/priyanka-gandhi-to-mayawati-she-must-visit-rajasthan-to-meet-kota-victimss-families-272134">Mayawati</a> on Monday said that her party will not attend the meeting of opposition parties, scheduled to take place later in the day.

"As is known, despite BSP supporting Congress government in Rajasthan from outside, they broke our MLAs for a second time and inducted them in their own party, which is a complete betrayal," Mayawati said in a tweet.

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3. वैसे भी बीएसपी CAA/NRC आदि के विरोध में है। केन्द्र सरकार से पुनः अपील है कि वह इस विभाजनकारी व असंवैधानिक कानून को वापिस ले। साथ ही, JNU व अन्य शिक्षण संस्थानों में भी छात्रों का राजनीतिकरण करना यह अति-दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण। 3/3
— Mayawati (@Mayawati) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mayawati/status/1216558471656529920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
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"Under such circumstances, BSP attending today's Opposition meeting called by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/hemant-soren-in-delhi-to-discuss-cabinet-expansion-with-congress-leaders-273822">Congress</a> will be demoralising for people of the party in Rajasthan. So, BSP will not take part in this meeting," she added.

Stressing that her party opposes the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), she said, "Once again, I appeal to the Central government to take back this divisive and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-priyanka-instigated-riots-by-supporting-anti-caa-drive-home-minister-amit-shah-272323">unconstitutional law</a>." 
 
In December last year, Opposition leaders had met President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/declaration-of-amaravathi-as-capital-was-unconstitutional-ysrcp-mla-to-president-kovind-272733">Ram Nath Kovind</a> and lodged their protest over police action against students over the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

Congress, on Monday, called for the opposition parties for a meeting to discuss the political dynamics and current situation of the country which Aam Aadmi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Trinamool Congress are not likely to attend.

Congress, on Monday, called for the opposition parties for a meeting to discuss the political dynamics and current situation of the country which Aam Aadmi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Trinamool Congress are not likely to attend. Discussions will be held on several issues including the amended Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR), National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the violence in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) during the meeting scheduled to be held in Parliament annexe at 2 pm. Trinamool Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party and Aam Aadmi Party will not be taking part in the meeting. Citing "betrayal" by Congress in Rajasthan, BSP chief Mayawati on Monday said that her party will not attend the meeting of opposition parties, scheduled to take place later in the day. "As is known, despite BSP supporting Congress government in Rajasthan from outside, they broke our MLAs for a second time and inducted them in their own party, which is a complete betrayal," Mayawati said in a tweet. 3. वैसे भी बीएसपी CAA/NRC आदि के विरोध में है। केन्द्र सरकार से पुनः अपील है कि वह इस विभाजनकारी व असंवैधानिक कानून को वापिस ले। साथ ही, JNU व अन्य शिक्षण संस्थानों में भी छात्रों का राजनीतिकरण करना यह अति-दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण। 3/3 — Mayawati (@Mayawati) January 13, 2020 × "Under such circumstances, BSP attending today's Opposition meeting called by Congress will be demoralising for people of the party in Rajasthan. So, BSP will not take part in this meeting," she added. Stressing that her party opposes the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), she said, "Once again, I appeal to the Central government to take back this divisive and unconstitutional law." In December last year, Opposition leaders had met President Ram Nath Kovind and lodged their protest over police action against students over the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

Citizenship Act Protest: AAP, BSP not to attend today's opposition meeting called by Congress

Supreme Court on Thursday while hearing a plea against protests over the new citizenship law said that the country is going through a critical time and the "endeavour must be to bring peace".

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/criticism-is-not-best-form-of-correction-cji-sa-bobde-266833">S A Bobde</a> made the observations on a petition filed by a lawyer named Vineet Dhanda seeking stern legal action against those disturbing peace and harmony in the country in the name of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/citizenship-amendment-bill-avoidable-controversy-267862">Citizenship (Amendment) Act</a>.

The court said, "The country is going through the critical time, the endeavour must be to bring peace and such petitions do not help."

Dhanda also sought an urgent listing of his petition seeking to declare the newly amended citizenship law "constitutional".

The top court said it will hear his plea as soon as the violence stops. The plea also sought a direction to the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/election-commission-clean-chit-to-pm-modi-in-two-more-speeches-215735">Election Commission of India</a> to identify and take strict action against political parties who are spreading false rumours and violence in the country in the name of the Act.

It further sought a direction to publicise the law extensively through newspapers, electronic media and other means of advertisement.

Dhanda also sought a direction to Centre to clarify that the Act is not against the spirit of the Constitution and is in no sense against any citizen of India.

Supreme Court on Thursday while hearing a plea against protests over the new citizenship law said that the country is going through a critical time and the "endeavour must be to bring peace".

Supreme Court on Thursday while hearing a plea against protests over the new citizenship law said that the country is going through a critical time and the "endeavour must be to bring peace". A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde made the observations on a petition filed by a lawyer named Vineet Dhanda seeking stern legal action against those disturbing peace and harmony in the country in the name of Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The court said, "The country is going through the critical time, the endeavour must be to bring peace and such petitions do not help." Dhanda also sought an urgent listing of his petition seeking to declare the newly amended citizenship law "constitutional". The top court said it will hear his plea as soon as the violence stops. The plea also sought a direction to the Election Commission of India to identify and take strict action against political parties who are spreading false rumours and violence in the country in the name of the Act. It further sought a direction to publicise the law extensively through newspapers, electronic media and other means of advertisement. Dhanda also sought a direction to Centre to clarify that the Act is not against the spirit of the Constitution and is in no sense against any citizen of India.

CAA protests: Endeavour must be to bring peace, says Supreme Court

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/javed-akhtar-calling-faiz-anti-hindu-is-absurd-and-funny-271705">Jamia Millia Islamia</a> is scheduled to reopen on January 6 after a winter vacation following which semester examination will commence. 
 
The varsity was closed on December 16 after protests against the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/nankana-sahib-incident-proof-of-state-of-minorities-in-pak-caa-opposers-should-introspect-hardeep-singh-puri-272102">Citizenship (Amendment) Act</a> turned violent on December 15. It had also cancelled the examinations and declared vacation till January 5. 
 
According to an official statement released by the university, the remaining odd-semester examination will start from January 9 for most of the post-graduate courses. Examination for undergraduate courses will, however, start from January 16. 
 
The students appearing in odd-semester examinations are advised to come to the university as per the scheduled date of the examination displayed on the varsity's website, the statement read. 
 
The students have also been advised to regularly visit the official websites to avoid any confusion arising due to rumours and wrong communication on social media. 
 
Students can also call 'Jamia Help Desk' number 011-26981717 with extension 1408 and 7647989611 from 10:00 am to 5.00 pm for any query related to the exam schedule, the varsity added. 
 
Cases of serious hospitalization and the medical ground will be dealt with separately, it stated. 
 
The teaching schedule for the next semester in all faculties and centres for even semester will be notified Faculty wise on the JMI website separately.

Jamia Millia Islamia is scheduled to reopen on January 6 after a winter vacation following which semester examination will commence. The varsity was closed on December 16 after protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act turned violent on December 15.

Jamia Millia Islamia is scheduled to reopen on January 6 after a winter vacation following which semester examination will commence. The varsity was closed on December 16 after protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act turned violent on December 15. It had also cancelled the examinations and declared vacation till January 5. According to an official statement released by the university, the remaining odd-semester examination will start from January 9 for most of the post-graduate courses. Examination for undergraduate courses will, however, start from January 16. The students appearing in odd-semester examinations are advised to come to the university as per the scheduled date of the examination displayed on the varsity's website, the statement read. The students have also been advised to regularly visit the official websites to avoid any confusion arising due to rumours and wrong communication on social media. Students can also call 'Jamia Help Desk' number 011-26981717 with extension 1408 and 7647989611 from 10:00 am to 5.00 pm for any query related to the exam schedule, the varsity added. Cases of serious hospitalization and the medical ground will be dealt with separately, it stated. The teaching schedule for the next semester in all faculties and centres for even semester will be notified Faculty wise on the JMI website separately.

Jamia Varsity to open on Monday after three weeks of anti-CAA protests

BJP national working president JP Nadda said here on Thursday that Congress has not condemned the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/anti-caa-protests-heres-why-the-police-force-is-being-targetted-and-demonised-271596">violence</a> that took place during the protest against Citizenship (Amendment) Act, implying that they are behind it.

"Congress says they are not behind the violence," said Nadda. "If you are not behind it, then so many days have passed, why have you not condemned it?" he asked while addressing an event.

Earlier in the day, he offered prayers at the Swaminarayan Mandir. Temple saints handed over a letter to the BJP leader in support of CAA.

The party is conducting meetings and organising seminars on CAA. Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday launched a toll-free number to get support from people for its campaigns in favour of the amended citizenship law.

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नागरिकता संशोधन अधिनियम - 2019 को अपना समर्थन देने के लिए 8866288662 पर मिस्ड कॉल करें। <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiaSupportsCAA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndiaSupportsCAA</a> <a href="https://t.co/AJ819hv6Ul">pic.twitter.com/AJ819hv6Ul</a>
— BJP (@BJP4India) <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4India/status/1212729507292962816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and came to India on or before December 31, 2014.

BJP national working president JP Nadda said here on Thursday that Congress has not condemned the violence that took place during the protest against Citizenship (Amendment) Act, implying that they are behind it.

BJP national working president JP Nadda said here on Thursday that Congress has not condemned the violence that took place during the protest against Citizenship (Amendment) Act, implying that they are behind it. "Congress says they are not behind the violence," said Nadda. "If you are not behind it, then so many days have passed, why have you not condemned it?" he asked while addressing an event. Earlier in the day, he offered prayers at the Swaminarayan Mandir. Temple saints handed over a letter to the BJP leader in support of CAA. The party is conducting meetings and organising seminars on CAA. Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday launched a toll-free number to get support from people for its campaigns in favour of the amended citizenship law. नागरिकता संशोधन अधिनियम - 2019 को अपना समर्थन देने के लिए 8866288662 पर मिस्ड कॉल करें। #IndiaSupportsCAA pic.twitter.com/AJ819hv6Ul — BJP (@BJP4India) January 2, 2020 × The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and came to India on or before December 31, 2014.

If Congress not behind anti-CAA violence, why haven't they condemned it, asks Nadda

Do you suddenly get the feel that our policemen are being projected as deadly brutes straight from the Chengiz Khan army out on a savage act to torment the law-abiding citizens, and that the rampaging rioters and the stone-pelting arsonists, knocking down public utilities and setting vehicles on fire, are nothing but peaceful angels exercising their democratic rights? If yes, blame it on a systematic and consistent anti-police rhetoric coming from those intellectuals, artists and media houses who find immense opportunities in it. They’re the think-tankers behind the violent rioting and they want the arsons and the deaths to continue for longer. No wonder they have raised the bogey of barbarism against the police action and have been crying it out as “shameful” and “deeply distressing”.

Various actors including Parineeti Chopra, Huma Qureshi, Sidharth&nbsp;Malhotra, Konkana Sen Sharma, Manoj Vajpayee, Ayushman Khurana, Riteish Deshmukh, Vickey Kaushal expressed their anger, anguish and protest against the police action at the Jamia University and also at many other places in UP, giving scant respect to facts on record.&nbsp;

However, the heaviest salvo on the image of police was fired by actor Swara Bhaskar, who during an interview to a TV channel, branded the police to be killers and communally spirited as she said, “They (police) are killing people. Like they are attacking the unarmed on the streets. They are working as rioters with communal spirit. Firing is being done inside the universities (sic).”&nbsp;

In the leftist echo-chamber, as ever, the sentiment was echoed by others, as the self-styled historian Ramchandra Guha took to the Twitter to condemn, what he called, “The police brutalities and arbitrary detentions in the Uttar Pradesh”. He drew parallels between the police actions in Delhi and UP with that of the London riots of 2011 where, according to him, despite a week of violent protests across the city of London injuring 180 policemen, not a single protester was killed by the police. The obvious slant is that the police in Delhi and UP are an unprofessional bunch of brutes indulged in unwarranted barbarism.

However, what Guha was obviously ignorant of, or hid intentionally in his comparison, is the fact that by the end of the week-long riots (August 4-11, 2011), the London police had unleashed a crackdown against the riots, also known as Tottenham riots, arresting 3000 people out of whom more than 1000 were served with serious criminal charges for 3433 recorded crimes across the city of London. But in India, the police have been very circumspect in resorting to indiscriminate arrests; only those miscreants against whom strong visual and other corroborative evidence are available on record, have been arrested. Second, what he deliberately hides is the fact that the London police was heavily under fire, both from the media and the civil society, for doing nothing and letting the rioters ransack and loot north London for nearly 12 hours, and demanded that police must deploy strong anti-riot methods, like water cannons, baton charges and tear gases. Do such think tankers want a repetition of the Tottenham riots in India with police looking to the other side?

The zeal, spontaneity and outrage shown by such anti-CAA forces, based mostly on a heavily-biased and one-sided description of the protest movements, betray not only a prejudiced approach of their own but also a concerted attempt to tarnish the image of police force&nbsp;with the obvious aim of scoring political goals. None of such critiques have taken the pains to condemn the ugly violence unleashed by the protesters on the streets, despite the awareness that their opinions carry traction with the rioters. As most of the rioters were just copycat vandals who just imitated their peers out of fun without knowing much about the cause of their protests, a strong message against the violence by such thought leaders would have diffused their fun motive.

Instead of dousing the fire by condemning the violence in unequivocal terms, politicians, led by the Congress and the TMC, and the left activists are actively inflaming the situation by branding the police force as 'barbarians' out on 'revenge against citizens'.&nbsp;

It’s a disturbing phenomenon because such anti-police rhetorics not only go to break the morale of the police forces but also go to boost the morale of those miscreants who take to streets with a criminal intent to unleash a reign of terror on the majority of the citizenry showing scant respect for the rule of law. A state would collapse if it failed to ensure the societal order under threat of violence by mobs.

However, attacking the police and casting aspersions on the security organisations are among the chosen modus operandi of the left and the anti-establishment activists all around the world. In the US, the Democrats and the leftist are constantly targeting the Trump administration over its immigration policy by using rhetorical blasts, such as, 'concentration camps', 'children in cages' and 'Gestapo tactics'. Invoking the spectre of Nazis to attack the nationalist governments in order to put them on the back foot is one of the tested methods of the left.

President Trump had come to power on the popular slogan of 'Giving the power back to police' and that’s what he’s doing; he has made a law that makes assaulting a police officer – even threatening for the same or attempting to do so - a federal crime, as opposed to a state crime. On the other hand, England believes in the concept of 'policing by consent' that means, power of the police comes from the common consent of the people, as opposed to the power of the state, therefore, the legitimate power of policing emanates from adherence to functional transparency by the police force and its singular accountability to the people. India strikes a balance between the two extremes and, despite complex challenges from multiple fronts to law and order India hasn’t given police draconian powers.

However, under the Police Act, 1861, maintaining public order at public places is one of the primary duties of the police force in India. As per section 31 of this Act, it is incumbent upon the police to ensure that at public places people behave in a respectful and rational manner toward others and toward their surroundings. The police are required to maintain the public peace and prevent the commission of nuisance and, in case, such an incidence happens, Section 34 makes it an offence for any person to cause obstruction, inconvenience, annoyance, risk, danger or damage to public property. It mandates the police to ensure that actions of a group of individuals should not impinge on the rights and convenience of any other group.&nbsp;

Further, in the event of an offence under Section 34 above, an Executive Magistrate or a police officer is empowered under Section 129 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to cause the assembly to disperse from such place to restore public order and peace taking the help of civil or the armed force if so required. In order to prevent the disturbance of public order, the police may arrest an accused under Section 151 of the CrPC. which is a cognizable, non-bailable offence. 
&nbsp; 
No legitimate government can deny the right to protest, which is a fundamental right available to the citizens. Article 19 (1) of the Constitution gives freedom to the Indian citizens to assemble peacefully and without arms as well as the right to come out in procession or hold meetings. However, such a freedom is subject to various limiting provisions under the IPC, the CrPC and the Police Act, 1861 that, in line with the Article 19 (3) of the constitution, impose reasonable restrictions on these freedoms available under Article 19 (1), with the stated aim to ensure public order and peace.&nbsp;

Thus, the police actions against the violent anti-CAA protesters across the country are legally sound, constitutionally just and ethically valid.&nbsp;

Indian law enforcement agencies largely conform to the international standards of crowd control principles that emanate from various stipulations, like, The UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, the UN Standard of Minimum Rules and the UN Body of Principles, that collectively set out several important principles and prerequisites for the just performance of law enforcement functions by the police.&nbsp;

The United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHCR) has compiled its code - called 'Basic Principles - on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials' that is based on the basic principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). According to it, government and law enforcement agencies should develop a range of non-lethal weapons and ammunition that should be carefully evaluated in order to minimise the risk of endangering the lives of people in the crowd.

The Amnesty International has come out with its own guidelines, under the heading ‘10 Basic Human Rights Standards for Law Enforcement Officials’. The Basic Standard No 4 of these standards authorises the use of force by police officers for dispersing violent assemblies, with the stipulation that police may use force “When less extreme means are insufficient to achieve these objectives” and that “no more force should be used than what is absolutely necessary.”

Thus, in objective analysis, police have done what it was supposed to do, and they’ve done it displaying sufficient patience, forbearance and accountability. The December violence and rioting across cities were unprecedented in their reach, intensity and spontaneity, and yet the same was contained promptly just because the police intervened, applying globally prescribed enforcement measures in a timely and proportionate manner. Had the police been any less responsive, it would have led to grave repercussions for the larger citizenry.

None of the police-baiters from the politics, intelligentsia or the Bollywood had a suggestion to offer as to how the riots could have been controlled better and through what alternative means? They had none, because they didn’t want the rioting to ebb out; they wanted more violence, more arson for obvious reasons.&nbsp;

But, the question remains why the think-tankers are targeting the police and demonising them in such a relentless way?

&nbsp;The answer is simple. Their real target isn’t the police, rather it’s the government. All such politicians and people who are castigating the police for their actions, have in reality an axe to grind with the present political dispensation and for the same reason, they keep aligning themselves with every single cause that goes to cast a poor light on PM Modi and his government. The police force has become a target for such people because it happens to be the most visible representation of the sovereignty of the state and the most effective arm to enforce a sovereign’s authority. Undermining the police means undermining the authority of the political dispensation wielding that sovereign authority. A direct assault on police accusing them as violators of citizen’s constitutional rights and painting them as agents carrying political ideology of the rulers, help such think-tankers in positioning themselves as champions of democracy and constitutional rights against authoritarian rulers. Undermining the defence forces from time to time or from different platforms is a part of that same larger plan. Such strategy would help these people in undermining the moral authority of the Modi government to govern a deliberative, liberal democracy like India.&nbsp;

Moreover, pushing the police on the back foot by showing them as usurpers of liberal space of the citizens is immensely beneficial to such people. As such leftist thought leaders remain mostly at daggers drawn with the government and keep violating the laws of the land in the process, they would always like a thoroughly declawed and defanged police force. Toothless police wouldn’t play spoilsport with them and wouldn’t pose a threat to their ideological agenda, many of which are considered 'anti-national' by the present government. The anti-police rhetoric would internationalise the matter that would, in turn, put pressures on the government to reign in the police so that they may go soft on those activists in future. Thus, the present brouhaha around police excesses must be seen as a part of that important strategy. &nbsp;

The state is the expression of the collective will of the people organised to work for the collective good. Peace and order at public places is one such necessary corollary of the collective good that runs in serious conflict with the actions of few motivated groups that indulge in arsons and riots for meeting their narrow interests. Hence, the collective will of the people must prevail to restore orderliness in society by thoroughly defeating such unruly groups that express themselves through violent means. The think-tankers of the anti-CAA protests demonising the police need to respect this collective will of the people.

(Views expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

Do you suddenly get the feel that our policemen are being projected as deadly brutes straight from the Chengiz Khan army out on a savage act to torment the law-abiding citizens, and that the rampaging rioters and the stone-pelting arsonists, knocking down public utilities and setting vehicles on fire, are nothing but peaceful angels exercising their democratic rights?

Do you suddenly get the feel that our policemen are being projected as deadly brutes straight from the Chengiz Khan army out on a savage act to torment the law-abiding citizens, and that the rampaging rioters and the stone-pelting arsonists, knocking down public utilities and setting vehicles on fire, are nothing but peaceful angels exercising their democratic rights? If yes, blame it on a systematic and consistent anti-police rhetoric coming from those intellectuals, artists and media houses who find immense opportunities in it. They’re the think-tankers behind the violent rioting and they want the arsons and the deaths to continue for longer. No wonder they have raised the bogey of barbarism against the police action and have been crying it out as “shameful” and “deeply distressing”. Various actors including Parineeti Chopra, Huma Qureshi, Sidharth Malhotra, Konkana Sen Sharma, Manoj Vajpayee, Ayushman Khurana, Riteish Deshmukh, Vickey Kaushal expressed their anger, anguish and protest against the police action at the Jamia University and also at many other places in UP, giving scant respect to facts on record. However, the heaviest salvo on the image of police was fired by actor Swara Bhaskar, who during an interview to a TV channel, branded the police to be killers and communally spirited as she said, “They (police) are killing people. Like they are attacking the unarmed on the streets. They are working as rioters with communal spirit. Firing is being done inside the universities (sic).” In the leftist echo-chamber, as ever, the sentiment was echoed by others, as the self-styled historian Ramchandra Guha took to the Twitter to condemn, what he called, “The police brutalities and arbitrary detentions in the Uttar Pradesh”. He drew parallels between the police actions in Delhi and UP with that of the London riots of 2011 where, according to him, despite a week of violent protests across the city of London injuring 180 policemen, not a single protester was killed by the police. The obvious slant is that the police in Delhi and UP are an unprofessional bunch of brutes indulged in unwarranted barbarism. However, what Guha was obviously ignorant of, or hid intentionally in his comparison, is the fact that by the end of the week-long riots (August 4-11, 2011), the London police had unleashed a crackdown against the riots, also known as Tottenham riots, arresting 3000 people out of whom more than 1000 were served with serious criminal charges for 3433 recorded crimes across the city of London. But in India, the police have been very circumspect in resorting to indiscriminate arrests; only those miscreants against whom strong visual and other corroborative evidence are available on record, have been arrested. Second, what he deliberately hides is the fact that the London police was heavily under fire, both from the media and the civil society, for doing nothing and letting the rioters ransack and loot north London for nearly 12 hours, and demanded that police must deploy strong anti-riot methods, like water cannons, baton charges and tear gases. Do such think tankers want a repetition of the Tottenham riots in India with police looking to the other side? The zeal, spontaneity and outrage shown by such anti-CAA forces, based mostly on a heavily-biased and one-sided description of the protest movements, betray not only a prejudiced approach of their own but also a concerted attempt to tarnish the image of police force with the obvious aim of scoring political goals. None of such critiques have taken the pains to condemn the ugly violence unleashed by the protesters on the streets, despite the awareness that their opinions carry traction with the rioters. As most of the rioters were just copycat vandals who just imitated their peers out of fun without knowing much about the cause of their protests, a strong message against the violence by such thought leaders would have diffused their fun motive. Instead of dousing the fire by condemning the violence in unequivocal terms, politicians, led by the Congress and the TMC, and the left activists are actively inflaming the situation by branding the police force as 'barbarians' out on 'revenge against citizens'. It’s a disturbing phenomenon because such anti-police rhetorics not only go to break the morale of the police forces but also go to boost the morale of those miscreants who take to streets with a criminal intent to unleash a reign of terror on the majority of the citizenry showing scant respect for the rule of law. A state would collapse if it failed to ensure the societal order under threat of violence by mobs. However, attacking the police and casting aspersions on the security organisations are among the chosen modus operandi of the left and the anti-establishment activists all around the world. In the US, the Democrats and the leftist are constantly targeting the Trump administration over its immigration policy by using rhetorical blasts, such as, 'concentration camps', 'children in cages' and 'Gestapo tactics'. Invoking the spectre of Nazis to attack the nationalist governments in order to put them on the back foot is one of the tested methods of the left. President Trump had come to power on the popular slogan of 'Giving the power back to police' and that’s what he’s doing; he has made a law that makes assaulting a police officer – even threatening for the same or attempting to do so - a federal crime, as opposed to a state crime. On the other hand, England believes in the concept of 'policing by consent' that means, power of the police comes from the common consent of the people, as opposed to the power of the state, therefore, the legitimate power of policing emanates from adherence to functional transparency by the police force and its singular accountability to the people. India strikes a balance between the two extremes and, despite complex challenges from multiple fronts to law and order India hasn’t given police draconian powers. However, under the Police Act, 1861, maintaining public order at public places is one of the primary duties of the police force in India. As per section 31 of this Act, it is incumbent upon the police to ensure that at public places people behave in a respectful and rational manner toward others and toward their surroundings. The police are required to maintain the public peace and prevent the commission of nuisance and, in case, such an incidence happens, Section 34 makes it an offence for any person to cause obstruction, inconvenience, annoyance, risk, danger or damage to public property. It mandates the police to ensure that actions of a group of individuals should not impinge on the rights and convenience of any other group. Further, in the event of an offence under Section 34 above, an Executive Magistrate or a police officer is empowered under Section 129 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to cause the assembly to disperse from such place to restore public order and peace taking the help of civil or the armed force if so required. In order to prevent the disturbance of public order, the police may arrest an accused under Section 151 of the CrPC. which is a cognizable, non-bailable offence. No legitimate government can deny the right to protest, which is a fundamental right available to the citizens. Article 19 (1) of the Constitution gives freedom to the Indian citizens to assemble peacefully and without arms as well as the right to come out in procession or hold meetings. However, such a freedom is subject to various limiting provisions under the IPC, the CrPC and the Police Act, 1861 that, in line with the Article 19 (3) of the constitution, impose reasonable restrictions on these freedoms available under Article 19 (1), with the stated aim to ensure public order and peace. Thus, the police actions against the violent anti-CAA protesters across the country are legally sound, constitutionally just and ethically valid. Indian law enforcement agencies largely conform to the international standards of crowd control principles that emanate from various stipulations, like, The UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, the UN Standard of Minimum Rules and the UN Body of Principles, that collectively set out several important principles and prerequisites for the just performance of law enforcement functions by the police. The United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHCR) has compiled its code - called 'Basic Principles - on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials' that is based on the basic principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). According to it, government and law enforcement agencies should develop a range of non-lethal weapons and ammunition that should be carefully evaluated in order to minimise the risk of endangering the lives of people in the crowd. The Amnesty International has come out with its own guidelines, under the heading ‘10 Basic Human Rights Standards for Law Enforcement Officials’. The Basic Standard No 4 of these standards authorises the use of force by police officers for dispersing violent assemblies, with the stipulation that police may use force “When less extreme means are insufficient to achieve these objectives” and that “no more force should be used than what is absolutely necessary.” Thus, in objective analysis, police have done what it was supposed to do, and they’ve done it displaying sufficient patience, forbearance and accountability. The December violence and rioting across cities were unprecedented in their reach, intensity and spontaneity, and yet the same was contained promptly just because the police intervened, applying globally prescribed enforcement measures in a timely and proportionate manner. Had the police been any less responsive, it would have led to grave repercussions for the larger citizenry. None of the police-baiters from the politics, intelligentsia or the Bollywood had a suggestion to offer as to how the riots could have been controlled better and through what alternative means? They had none, because they didn’t want the rioting to ebb out; they wanted more violence, more arson for obvious reasons. But, the question remains why the think-tankers are targeting the police and demonising them in such a relentless way? The answer is simple. Their real target isn’t the police, rather it’s the government. All such politicians and people who are castigating the police for their actions, have in reality an axe to grind with the present political dispensation and for the same reason, they keep aligning themselves with every single cause that goes to cast a poor light on PM Modi and his government. The police force has become a target for such people because it happens to be the most visible representation of the sovereignty of the state and the most effective arm to enforce a sovereign’s authority. Undermining the police means undermining the authority of the political dispensation wielding that sovereign authority. A direct assault on police accusing them as violators of citizen’s constitutional rights and painting them as agents carrying political ideology of the rulers, help such think-tankers in positioning themselves as champions of democracy and constitutional rights against authoritarian rulers. Undermining the defence forces from time to time or from different platforms is a part of that same larger plan. Such strategy would help these people in undermining the moral authority of the Modi government to govern a deliberative, liberal democracy like India. Moreover, pushing the police on the back foot by showing them as usurpers of liberal space of the citizens is immensely beneficial to such people. As such leftist thought leaders remain mostly at daggers drawn with the government and keep violating the laws of the land in the process, they would always like a thoroughly declawed and defanged police force. Toothless police wouldn’t play spoilsport with them and wouldn’t pose a threat to their ideological agenda, many of which are considered 'anti-national' by the present government. The anti-police rhetoric would internationalise the matter that would, in turn, put pressures on the government to reign in the police so that they may go soft on those activists in future. Thus, the present brouhaha around police excesses must be seen as a part of that important strategy. The state is the expression of the collective will of the people organised to work for the collective good. Peace and order at public places is one such necessary corollary of the collective good that runs in serious conflict with the actions of few motivated groups that indulge in arsons and riots for meeting their narrow interests. Hence, the collective will of the people must prevail to restore orderliness in society by thoroughly defeating such unruly groups that express themselves through violent means. The think-tankers of the anti-CAA protests demonising the police need to respect this collective will of the people. (Views expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Anti-CAA protests: Here's why the police force is being targetted and demonised

Communications Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/patna-sahibs-big-face-off-shatrughan-sinha-vs-ravi-shankar-prasad-219323">Ravi Shankar Prasad</a> slammed the opposition for supporting the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/anti-citizenship-amendment-act-2019-protests-10-things-you-need-to-know-268511">anti-Citizenship Amendment Act</a> (CAA) protests and assured people that the new citizenship law will not take away the citizenship of any Indian.

"I support CAA. Some are protesting without understanding the Act. But what is more surprising is that Congress is not ready to understand. CPI, CPI(M) deliberately does not want to understand".

&nbsp;"CAA does not imply to India or any of its citizens. It will neither give citizenship nor takes away anyone`s citizenship. Indira Gandhi gave citizenship to Hindus who have come from Uganda, Rajiv Gandhi also gave citizenship to Tamilians from Sri Lanka. Then I do not understand that If <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/world-leaders-congratulate-pm-modi-on-re-election-221092">PM Modi</a> is doing the same then why is it bad ?."

"Only the Parliament has the power to pass the law regarding citizenship, not any State Assembly," he added. These statements by the Union Minister came just hours after the Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a resolution urging the Central government to repeal the CAA.

Protests erupted across the country over the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, which seeks to grant Indian citizenship to Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, and Parsi refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed the opposition for supporting the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests and assured people that the new citizenship law will not take away the citizenship of any Indian.

Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed the opposition for supporting the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests and assured people that the new citizenship law will not take away the citizenship of any Indian. "I support CAA. Some are protesting without understanding the Act. But what is more surprising is that Congress is not ready to understand. CPI, CPI(M) deliberately does not want to understand". "CAA does not imply to India or any of its citizens. It will neither give citizenship nor takes away anyone`s citizenship. Indira Gandhi gave citizenship to Hindus who have come from Uganda, Rajiv Gandhi also gave citizenship to Tamilians from Sri Lanka. Then I do not understand that If PM Modi is doing the same then why is it bad ?." "Only the Parliament has the power to pass the law regarding citizenship, not any State Assembly," he added. These statements by the Union Minister came just hours after the Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a resolution urging the Central government to repeal the CAA. Protests erupted across the country over the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, which seeks to grant Indian citizenship to Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, and Parsi refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

Ravi Shankar Prasad tears into Opposition for supporting anti-CAA protests

Can Priyanka Gandhi Vadra make a difference to Congress Party in Uttar Pradesh? Going by the value of her party in the state, it looks like an impossible task. Congress does not have workers, regional leaders, cadre and a proper cause which can bring different communities together during an election.

Congress has a depleted vote bank and fractured leadership which is divided into different factions. The present support which Congress lent to CAA may get temporary publicity, but the cause may not help it electorally for the simple reason that Muslims may decide to vote for Samajwadi Party (SP) once again during assembly elections. On the other hand, Congress will have to deal with BJP which might gain because of reverse polarisation.

Priyanka’s own late campaign during Lok Sabha elections was a political disaster in 2019. Her entry instead of delivering a hit, turned into a colossal flop. Congress even lost Amethi, a bastion of the Gandhi family. Technically, Priyanka Gandhi has inherited nothing from the Congress Party or her own brother Rahul Gandhi who experimented thrice in Uttar Pradesh.

The point I’m trying to make is that Priyanka Gandhi is virtually starting with scratch. The only thing she today possesses is her conviction and courage which can be lost to prevailing circumstances. Nonetheless, Priyanka has made all the right noises after Lok Sabha debacle that too on her own strength. The credit must be given to Priyanka Gandhi that she did not give up on Uttar Pradesh.

The state is deeply divided on caste and religion. Even during CAA protest, maximum protests happened near Muslim dominated areas and maximum firepower was used against them. The approach towards Muslims was tough. The message was two-fold.

The first message was that the government stands firm on CAA and will use force if protests do not stop. The message was to BJP’s vote bank that it is the only party which stands between them and an aggressive minority. It is a trap which Priyanka Gandhi needs to avoid.

She will need to pick up an issue which resonates closer to the Congress and not the Left parties and BJP. She needs to ensure that the focus remains on issues and not on her. On Monday, she rightly did not allow her own security became a talking point during the press conference. Priyanka Gandhi cannot be an eye-grabber all the time. Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have shown that silent campaign, which is less focused on Gandhis, works well.&nbsp;

She will also need to invest herself in the state by staying there for a few days and even weeks. The present leadership of the Congress is such condition that it cannot even get more than 20 MLAs in the assembly today. None of the leaders of the Uttar Pradesh from Congress can today be projected as Chief Ministers.

If Congress Party can allow Priyanka Gandhi another 10 years in Uttar Pradesh, then something might happen. It took BJP 15 years to come back to power. Today, regional parties are getting stronger and BJP and Congress are directly pitted against each other directly in 8 states. In rest of the states, BJP is the number 1 party and Congress is either number 2, number 3 and in some cases even number 3 party. Maharashtra is a case in example. In almost all cases, BJP has either emerged as the principal party or the principal challenger.

So, it is imperative that Priyanka Gandhi should not get mighty impressed with the TV coverage she gets. Rahul Gandhi fell prey to this temporary adulation. The only way she can revive Congress in Uttar Pradesh is by seen continuously engaged on regional issues in Uttar Pradesh.

Rahul Gandhi by the end of 2010 was considered a tourist in the state. Priyanka Gandhi cannot afford to walk down the same path.

Across the world, major leaderless protests have taken place starting from Tahrir using new communication platforms but fundamentally failed to alter the dynamic of the state or electoral politics in the long run. CAA also runs the risk of walking down the same path as the government has 4 more years to go.&nbsp;

CAA protests are unlike the1970s protests which were personally directed towards Indira Gandhi. &nbsp;

Priyanka might succeded if she stays put in the state and focuses on issues which are important for Congress, its leaders and associated interest groups. 
 
(Views expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Can Priyanka Gandhi Vadra make a difference to Congress Party in Uttar Pradesh? Going by the value of her party in the state, it looks like an impossible task. Congress does not have workers, regional leaders, cadre and a proper cause which can bring different communities together during an election.

Can Priyanka Gandhi Vadra make a difference to Congress Party in Uttar Pradesh? Going by the value of her party in the state, it looks like an impossible task. Congress does not have workers, regional leaders, cadre and a proper cause which can bring different communities together during an election. Congress has a depleted vote bank and fractured leadership which is divided into different factions. The present support which Congress lent to CAA may get temporary publicity, but the cause may not help it electorally for the simple reason that Muslims may decide to vote for Samajwadi Party (SP) once again during assembly elections. On the other hand, Congress will have to deal with BJP which might gain because of reverse polarisation. Priyanka’s own late campaign during Lok Sabha elections was a political disaster in 2019. Her entry instead of delivering a hit, turned into a colossal flop. Congress even lost Amethi, a bastion of the Gandhi family. Technically, Priyanka Gandhi has inherited nothing from the Congress Party or her own brother Rahul Gandhi who experimented thrice in Uttar Pradesh. The point I’m trying to make is that Priyanka Gandhi is virtually starting with scratch. The only thing she today possesses is her conviction and courage which can be lost to prevailing circumstances. Nonetheless, Priyanka has made all the right noises after Lok Sabha debacle that too on her own strength. The credit must be given to Priyanka Gandhi that she did not give up on Uttar Pradesh. The state is deeply divided on caste and religion. Even during CAA protest, maximum protests happened near Muslim dominated areas and maximum firepower was used against them. The approach towards Muslims was tough. The message was two-fold. The first message was that the government stands firm on CAA and will use force if protests do not stop. The message was to BJP’s vote bank that it is the only party which stands between them and an aggressive minority. It is a trap which Priyanka Gandhi needs to avoid. She will need to pick up an issue which resonates closer to the Congress and not the Left parties and BJP. She needs to ensure that the focus remains on issues and not on her. On Monday, she rightly did not allow her own security became a talking point during the press conference. Priyanka Gandhi cannot be an eye-grabber all the time. Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have shown that silent campaign, which is less focused on Gandhis, works well. She will also need to invest herself in the state by staying there for a few days and even weeks. The present leadership of the Congress is such condition that it cannot even get more than 20 MLAs in the assembly today. None of the leaders of the Uttar Pradesh from Congress can today be projected as Chief Ministers. If Congress Party can allow Priyanka Gandhi another 10 years in Uttar Pradesh, then something might happen. It took BJP 15 years to come back to power. Today, regional parties are getting stronger and BJP and Congress are directly pitted against each other directly in 8 states. In rest of the states, BJP is the number 1 party and Congress is either number 2, number 3 and in some cases even number 3 party. Maharashtra is a case in example. In almost all cases, BJP has either emerged as the principal party or the principal challenger. So, it is imperative that Priyanka Gandhi should not get mighty impressed with the TV coverage she gets. Rahul Gandhi fell prey to this temporary adulation. The only way she can revive Congress in Uttar Pradesh is by seen continuously engaged on regional issues in Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi by the end of 2010 was considered a tourist in the state. Priyanka Gandhi cannot afford to walk down the same path. Across the world, major leaderless protests have taken place starting from Tahrir using new communication platforms but fundamentally failed to alter the dynamic of the state or electoral politics in the long run. CAA also runs the risk of walking down the same path as the government has 4 more years to go. CAA protests are unlike the1970s protests which were personally directed towards Indira Gandhi. Priyanka might succeded if she stays put in the state and focuses on issues which are important for Congress, its leaders and associated interest groups. (Views expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Can Priyanka Gandhi make a difference in Uttar Pradesh?

Uttar Pradesh DGP OP Singh wrote a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs, requesting to 'impose a ban on Popular Front of India (PFI) as investigations found PFI's involvement in the violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/anti-caa-protests-a-ticking-ignorance-bomb-and-a-sheer-vandalism-with-truth-269453">CAA</a>) that took place on 19 December.'

"PFI should be banned. We have written to the Home Ministry. We expect investigation on the same," he said while speaking to sources in Lucknow.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/anti-caa-protests-317-arrested-over-70-cases-registered-in-up-for-violence-270471">PFI</a>, an organisation based in Delhi, was founded on November 22, 2006.

Protests which affected the state earlier this month saw people expressing their dissent against the CAA and seeking its withdrawal.

Police personnel and protesters clashed during the agitation across the state.

Pursuant to the widespread protests, the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-leader-who-drove-priyanka-gandhi-on-scooter-fined-for-violating-traffic-rules-270988">Uttar Pradesh</a> Police had arrested three members of PFI including its state president Waseem Ahmad.

Also Watch: PM Modi condemns violence, urges anti-CAA protestors to introspect

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Uttar Pradesh DGP OP Singh wrote a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs, requesting to 'impose a ban on Popular Front of India (PFI) as investigations found PFI's involvement in the violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) that took place on 19 December.

Uttar Pradesh DGP OP Singh wrote a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs, requesting to 'impose a ban on Popular Front of India (PFI) as investigations found PFI's involvement in the violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) that took place on 19 December.' "PFI should be banned. We have written to the Home Ministry. We expect investigation on the same," he said while speaking to sources in Lucknow. PFI, an organisation based in Delhi, was founded on November 22, 2006. Protests which affected the state earlier this month saw people expressing their dissent against the CAA and seeking its withdrawal. Police personnel and protesters clashed during the agitation across the state. Pursuant to the widespread protests, the Uttar Pradesh Police had arrested three members of PFI including its state president Waseem Ahmad. Also Watch: PM Modi condemns violence, urges anti-CAA protestors to introspect ×

Anti-CAA riots: PFI should be banned, says UP DGP

This was a year which saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi's star rise to invincible heights - a landslide electoral win, an opposition in shambles and successive diplomatic victories.

After a series of diplomatic successes, India's image has taken a beating after the anti-citizenship law protests. The impatience to get things done could be the problem. There is a risk of crossing the thin line between decisive and dictatorial.&nbsp;

We have had protests before. People with all kinds of motivations, including political ones, have slammed the government in the past too.

But when apolitical people take extreme positions on issues that don't even affect them directly. Then you know that something is amiss.

Public protest and unrest have been the theme of this year. From Hong Kong to Chile to Lebanon and France, the might of the state has been challenged by the people.

But governments do not comment on domestic agitations elsewhere. But when they do, then the so-called internal issues become international ones.

India successfully took the world along on Balakot, Article 370, even on Ayodhya. There was sensitisation of the strategic partners who either backed India or remained quiet. However, the same support could not have been achieved for the Citizenship Act.

Now the CAA is India's law of course, an internal matter, and yet foreign players are stakeholders.&nbsp;

India cannot dismiss critics by calling it an internal issue when three of India's neighbours are directly affected. Bangladesh's foreign and home ministers cancelled a scheduled visit to India and a summit with the Japanese PM had to be postponed.

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) called the law discriminatory and followed now the OIC is reviving the Kashmir issue.

The BJP was once hailed as the master of messaging, today it is losing the narrative war. Because taking on a terror state is one thing, but taking on your own people is another.

The government will have to take international partners along. A question mark on India's secular credentials is something that the government can ill-afford. 
 
(Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)&nbsp;

This was a year which saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi's star rise to invincible heights - a landslide electoral win, an opposition in shambles and successive diplomatic victories.

This was a year which saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi's star rise to invincible heights - a landslide electoral win, an opposition in shambles and successive diplomatic victories. After a series of diplomatic successes, India's image has taken a beating after the anti-citizenship law protests. The impatience to get things done could be the problem. There is a risk of crossing the thin line between decisive and dictatorial. We have had protests before. People with all kinds of motivations, including political ones, have slammed the government in the past too. But when apolitical people take extreme positions on issues that don't even affect them directly. Then you know that something is amiss. Public protest and unrest have been the theme of this year. From Hong Kong to Chile to Lebanon and France, the might of the state has been challenged by the people. But governments do not comment on domestic agitations elsewhere. But when they do, then the so-called internal issues become international ones. India successfully took the world along on Balakot, Article 370, even on Ayodhya. There was sensitisation of the strategic partners who either backed India or remained quiet. However, the same support could not have been achieved for the Citizenship Act. Now the CAA is India's law of course, an internal matter, and yet foreign players are stakeholders. India cannot dismiss critics by calling it an internal issue when three of India's neighbours are directly affected. Bangladesh's foreign and home ministers cancelled a scheduled visit to India and a summit with the Japanese PM had to be postponed. The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) called the law discriminatory and followed now the OIC is reviving the Kashmir issue. The BJP was once hailed as the master of messaging, today it is losing the narrative war. Because taking on a terror state is one thing, but taking on your own people is another. The government will have to take international partners along. A question mark on India's secular credentials is something that the government can ill-afford. (Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

WION Edit: Is the BJP government losing the narrative war?

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