The government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), announced the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019, which has been criticized as “anti-Muslim.”
The legislation facilitates Indian citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who arrived before December 31, 2014, excluding Muslims.
This development, reported by Reuters, occurs as Modi aims for a third term. The law benefits Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians fleeing these predominantly Muslim countries, sparking debate about India’s secular principles.
The CAA’s introduction in 2019 led to widespread protests and violence in New Delhi, significantly affecting the Muslim community.
A government official highlighted the act’s alignment with the BJP’s 2019 election manifesto, emphasizing its role in aiding persecuted individuals to gain Indian citizenship.
However, Muslim organizations argue that the CAA, alongside the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), could jeopardize the rights of India’s substantial Muslim population by potentially stripping undocumented Muslims of citizenship, especially in border regions.
The government refutes claims of anti-Muslim bias, asserting the law’s purpose is to protect persecuted minorities from Muslim-majority countries. It insists the CAA aims to grant, not revoke, citizenship and attributes the protests to political motivations.
 of 2019, sparking debate over its implications on India's secular identity and the Muslim community.){kind=link}