India grants citizenship to first batch of 14 under controversial new law
India granted citizenship for the first time since the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act was passed to 14 individuals. This law grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Christians who fled Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan before December 31, 2014, due to persecution. Passed in 2019, the law faced severe protests in Delhi and other cities, leading […]
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India granted citizenship for the first time since the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act was passed to 14 individuals.
This law grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Christians who fled Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan before December 31, 2014, due to persecution.
Passed in 2019, the law faced severe protests in Delhi and other cities, leading to numerous protester deaths, and was not immediately implemented.
The Indian government enforced this law in March, a few weeks before the general elections.
On Wednesday, the Indian Ministry of the Interior issued a statement, without detailing the identities of the new citizens, that citizenship was granted following an oath of allegiance and verification of documents.
Critics say that this law easily grants citizenship to non-Muslims.
With 200 million Muslims, India has the third-largest Muslim population in the world. Many critics argue that the ruling party, led by Narendra Modi, discriminates against Muslims, and the new citizenship law is another form of such discrimination.
The post India grants citizenship to first batch of 14 under controversial new law appeared first on Khaama Press.