Some 30 US cities to witness protests against the new Indian citizenship law.
Ever since India enacted a controversial law last December fast tracking Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees fleeing religious persecution from three Islamic neighbors, ripples of resistance have been felt across the globe.
Several Indian cities have witnessed protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) with opponents of the law calling it violative of the secular Indian constitution as it excludes Muslims.
Protests against as well as in support of CAA have been happening in the US, too.
An umbrella group of organizations promoting pluralism, called the Coalition to Stop Genocide, has planned a second “National Day of Action†across 30 US cities on India’s Republic Day, Sunday Jan 26.
Specifically CAA offers Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before Dec 31, 2014 a path to Indian citizenship after six years instead of the usual 12 for others.
RELATED: Indian Americans stage more protests against CAA in front of Embassy of India (December 29, 2019)
The Indian Supreme Court has referred 143 petitions challenging the constitutional validity of CAA to a five judge Constitution bench, but declined to stay its implementation.
On its opposition to the new law, the coalition says: “The CAA creates a religion-based criterion to grant citizenship to immigrants and in combination with the National Register of Citizens (NRC) lays the legal foundation to denaturalize millions.
“The CAA violates India’s constitution, articles 14 and 15, that prohibit discrimination by the state on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.â€
The anti-CAA events on January 26 would lead to Indian embassy in Washington, DC, and consulates in Houston, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and San Francisco. Anti-CAA events are also planned in several other cities, including Seattle, Minnesota and Austin.
Events against the CAA have been held in the US since it was passed by the Indian parliament on Dec 12. More recently, a “National Day of Action†was organized by South Asian groups on Jan 19.
A thousand South Asians gathered at India Square in Jersey City holding placards raising slogans against what they described as a draconian law.
Similar protests were held in Indian districts such as Pioneer Boulevard in Artesia, California, near Los Angeles as also Chicago, Philadelphia, Fremont and Redmont.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsrnN1wmtf0&t=44s