Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s authorities publicizes guidelines to implement the controversial regulation, weeks earlier than he seeks a uncommon third time period in vote due by May.

The Indian authorities has introduced guidelines to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), weeks earlier than Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a uncommon third time period for his Hindu nationalist authorities.

The controversial law handed in 2019 by Modi’s authorities allowed Indian citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from India’s neighbouring nations.

It declared that Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who fled to Hindu-majority India from primarily Muslim Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan earlier than December 31, 2014, have been eligible for citizenship.

The regulation was declared “anti-Muslim” by a number of rights teams for retaining the group out of its ambit, elevating questions over the secular character of the world’s largest democracy.

Modi’s authorities had not drafted the principles for the regulation following nationwide protests over its passage in December 2019.

Violence broke out within the capital, New Delhi, through the protests during which dozens of individuals, most of them Muslims, have been killed and lots of injured throughout days of rioting.

“The Modi government announces implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act,” a authorities spokesman stated, in response to a Reuters information company report on Monday.

“It was an integral part of BJP’s 2019 [election] manifesto. This will pave [the] way for the persecuted to find citizenship in India,” he stated, referring to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Muslim teams say the regulation, mixed with a proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), can discriminate towards India’s 200 million Muslims – the world’s third-largest Muslim inhabitants. They concern the federal government may take away the citizenship of Muslims with out paperwork in some border states.

The authorities denies accusations that it’s anti-Muslim and has defended the regulation, saying it’s wanted to assist minorities going through persecution in Muslim-majority nations.

It says the regulation is supposed to grant citizenship, not take it away from anybody, and has known as the sooner protests politically motivated.

Rising Islamophobia

Human rights teams have alleged that the mistreatment of Muslims has elevated below Modi, who took over as prime minister in 2014.

The nation, since then, has seen a rising variety of assaults towards Muslims and their livelihoods, together with the demolition of Muslim houses and properties.

Cases of mob lynching below the pretext of defending cows, thought-about holy by some Hindus, have additionally elevated throughout Modi’s time in energy.

Critics imagine the often-armed cow vigilantes, which used to function on the fringes of society, grew to become mainstream after the BJP took over.

Reports of hate speech towards Muslims have additionally elevated within the nation, averaging almost two anti-Muslim hate speech occasions per day in 2023.

A report revealed that three out of 4 hate speech incidents occurred in states dominated by the BJP.