In the Indian capital New Delhi, people are protesting against the newly enacted citizenship law which they say is dangerous and divisive for the country as the law grants citizenship based on the religion.

This place in the south of New Delhi has become the epicenter of protests against the new citizenship law. Protestors say people in India have lived in peace and tranquility for centuries and that religion cannot be a criterion for citizenship. They say the new citizenship law is unconstitutional and against the idea of a united India.

At New Delhi’s Jamia Millia University peaceful protests, Poetry recitals and speeches are a daily routine now. On Wednesday thousands from all walks of life ushered including some bollywood stars despite harsh winter. The protests have rocked the country since December 12 when the government approved a citizenship bill easing way for non Muslims from neighboring countries to gain Indian nationality. But the bill excluded a sizable population of Muslims who now face either statelessness or getting stuck in a limbo.

Since the formulation of this new legislation Muslims are now in a state of fear, alarm and insecurity. They say the new law is not just intended to illegal immigrants but a gradual move to target Muslim minority. Observers say it is part of a larger political agenda of Ruling BJP of transforming India into a Hindu nation, the country which was otherwise founded on a secular idea.

The Ruling BJP however maintains the law is not discriminatory instead it grants persecuted Non-Muslim minorities from three neighboring countries a nationality; critics have however questioned Muslim exclusion calling it an attack on country’s secular fabric.

Munawar Zaman
Press TV, New Delhi