Federal minister says implementation of anti-Muslim citizenship law cannot be stopped
Indian federal minister Amit Shah has declared that the far-right Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) -led government will implement the anti-Muslim Citizenship (Amendment) Act, adding that “nobody can stop” its implementation. He made the statement while addressing a political rally in Kolkata, West Bengal, using dehumanizing language to refer to Bengali Muslims.
“In the state in which so much infiltration occurs, will development take place there?” he asked. “CAA is the law of the country, and no one can stop it.”
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is a discriminatory bill that fast-tracks citizenship for religious minorities, excluding Muslims. Muslims have been protesting the CAA since 2019, facing police brutality, Hindu nationalist mobs, and other forms of violence.
Declining Muslim enrolment in higher education due to rising discrimination, says study
A survey conducted to study higher education in India shows that Muslim enrolment in higher education significantly declined between 2020 and 2021, dropping by more than 8.5% and representing the loss of 1,79,147 new university students.
The most significant decline in Muslim enrolment was reported in far-right BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, with a staggering 36% decrease in enrolment. Rising discrimination, marginalization and violence against the Muslim community, combined with underrepresentation, emerge as causes of the decline. The Hijab Ban in Karnataka and the withdrawal of Muslim reservations from individual states are prominent cases of discrimination that have led to declines in Muslim enrolment as well.
Hindu supremacist groups continue to conduct anti-Muslim hate speech events
At an event organized by the Hindu militant group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Jharsuguda, Orissa, Hindu extremist leader Pushpendra Kulshrestha called for sending Indian Muslims to Pakistan. In Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, Hindu extremist leader Kamal Gautam called for an anti-Muslim boycott in the presence of police.
In far-right BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) chief Pravin Togadia delivered hate speeches against Muslims in Muradabad, Jalalabad and Pilibhit, calling on Hindus to inflict violence against minorities.
