Never has Section 144 been imposed for fear of peaceful protests. Because Karnataka is a BJP-ruled state, it is obvious that the law that prohibits “unlawful assembly” of four or more people is being misused here in the name of public safety. Today, several people who are against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) violated the prohibitory orders. The result? They were bundled into cars, buses and autos to prevent the protests from happening. The protestors were taken to marriage halls and kept under custody as jails could not accommodate so many of them.
One legal website had this to say about Section 144: “Joining unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapon. Whoever, being armed with any deadly weapon, or with anything which, used as a weapon of offence, is likely to cause death, is a member of an unlawful assembly, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.”
The CAA is anti-constitutional and goes against the grain of the idea of India. Several world bodies have voiced their concern, including students from reputable institutions like Harvard and Stanford. While the BJP says that Indian Muslims will not be affected, it’s just rhetoric as the minorities will have to prove their origins.
With 14% of India’s population comprising Muslims, and most below the poverty line, it is widely known that they do not have their family tree carved out, as their grand fathers and their great grand fathers do not have their birth certificates. Their ration card, voter ID, passport and Aadhaar will be of no help to them now.
To prove citizenship, this process of queuing up and registering for NRC applies to every religion in India. Remember the long lines at ATMs and banks during demonetisation? Well, it could well happen again to everyone, religion no bar, if NRC becomes a reality across India. However, non-Muslims will be forgiven for lack of documents and given the citizenship, no questions asked.
