HfHR Shares with Members of the U.S. Congress, a Situation Report on India
Peoples’ Protests Against the CAA/NRC/NPR
and the
Indian Government’s Response
A Situation Report Prepared for the United States Congress:
Several board members of Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) spent the last few weeks on the ground in various cities of India, interacting with protesters, activists, and faith leaders. We are deeply distressed to report that the situation has gotten a lot worse since the new year, with the BJP government in Delhi seeming to throw away any pretence of running a democratic country.
The Home Minister of India, Mr. Amit Shah, is threatening to throw all protesters in jail, having failed to portray the people’s resistance to the new citizenship laws as a Hindu-Muslim conflict. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, is openly urging ‘revenge’ against the protesters -- and his police force seems eager to please, as a recent Citizens Tribunal has documented through witnesses and videos. That report also speaks of the shocking inhumanity of hospitals and doctors refusing to treat the wounded.
As part of the continuing effort to intimidate activists, supporters of the government have just filed a frivolous complaint against human rights activist Sandeep Pandey, “for making inappropriate remarks” against Savarkar, the founder of the Hindutva movement.
On the crux of the citizenship debate, there are two important points that we wish to cover:
1. The Indian Government has launched a massive public relations campaign to portray millions of protesters who are out on the streets as being petty-minded for resisting the ‘humanitarian’ Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
While that narrow view of the CAA may be technically correct – though it is unconstitutional -- the fact of the matter is that the government had implied repeatedly in the past that such a law would be used in conjunction with the draconian National Register of Citizens (NRC), likely leaving millions of Muslims and other poor people in a state of purgatory -- as they will not be able to produce the necessary documents to prove their citizenship.
This fraudulent double talk and dog whistle on CAA by the government is one of the major reasons for the potency and longevity of the protests. Instead of clearing up the obfuscations, the government is now trying to deflect the blame, every which way it can.
2. In the face of massive protests, Mr. Modi has denied that a nation-wide NRC was ever in the offing; but in the same breath his cabinet has authorized the next phase of the massive National Population Register (NPR) project, which is nothing but the foundation of the NRC (see NPR is NRC: Here is How). People are beginning to see thorough this deception as well. As a consequence, the government is contradicting itself with a new rationale for NPR every day, even as it blames citizens for peacefully calling the government’s bluff.
Please see the attached sample list of IAS officers, Nobel Laureates, celebrities, and other prominent Indians who have condemned the CAA and the NRC/NPR.
We are just two days away from commemorating the 70th year of India’s constitution, which has never been in such serious jeopardy since its adoption. We are of course deeply disappointed that not all congressmen of Indian origin have been outspoken in defending that constitution or in condemning the violence by the Indian state against its own people. As the people of India fight the march towards a majoritarian ‘Hindu Rashtra’ – a fight that to our mind will eventually succeed because truth is on the people’s side – we sincerely hope that we Indian-Americans as a whole, and our leaders in Congress, will act NOW to be on the right side of history.
Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) is a U.S.-wide 501c(3) advocacy organization that is committed to the ideals of multi-religious pluralism in the United States, India and beyond. We advocate for shanti (peace), nyaya (justice) and the manavtha (human rights) of all communities from a Hindu perspective. Our Vision is lokasangraha (universal common good) - a world where there is peace among all people, and our planet is honored and protected.
Please visit: hindusforhumanrights.org
Dated: January 24, 2020
Attachment to the Situation Report on India to the U.S. Congress
A sample list of opposition to India’s Citizenship laws:
Bollywood: CAA: An Exhaustive List Of All The Celebrities Who've Spoken Out In Support Of Protests (Dec 18, 2019)
From Parineeti Chopra to Parvathy, many writers, actors, filmmakers have condemned police brutality and shown support for anti-CAA protests rocking India.
Nobel Laureate: Venky Ramakrishnan Joins Voices Slamming CAB (Dec 15, 2019)
"The point is that it makes 200 million Muslims feel as if somehow their religion is not as valid or as Indian as the others. That’s not a good recipe for harmony."
P. Chidambaram: CAA, NRC Part Of Their Agenda For Hindu Rashtra (Dec 26, 2019)
Former home minister P. Chidambaram speaks to Prashant Srivastav on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act
106 IAS Officers: In open letter, 106 retired civil servants rebut Centre on NPR-NRC-CAA link (Jan 10, 2020)
The retired civil servants, who have come together under the aegis of the Constitutional Conduct Group, also countered the government’s latest effort to delink the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Population Register and the National Register of Citizens.
Satya Nadella: Microsoft CEO Speaks Out Against CAA (Jan 13, 2020)
Speaking at a press event, the Indian-born CEO of Microsoft, said "I would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant who comes to India and creates the next the next unicorn in India, or becomes the next CEO of Infosys."
Amartya Sen: Anti-CAA protest should continue even without opposition unity (Jan 13, 2020)
Recent IAS Officer: We can’t afford to lose the fight against CAA, says IAS officer who had quit over Article 370 move (Jan 15, 2020)
Kannan Gopinathan has been an energetic critic of the Citizenship Amendment Act, the planned National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register.
Why is India Protesting? A Primer for Family and Friends on CAA/NPR/NRC (Jan 22, 2020)
From Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) USA