The Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) on Wednesday said the re-drafted Citizenship Amendment Bill, which was approved by the Union Cabinet, will be an instrument to disefranchise and torture millions of documentless Indians and fool the people of northeast India.
"The exemption of the Inner Line Permit holding states and autonomous council administered areas in the re-drafted CAB are not only manifestly unconstitutional but impractical. How would the autonomous district councils under the 6th Schedule (of the Constitution) areas in Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya without Inner Line regulation benefit from the exemption. This is nothing but an instrument to fool the tribals of the northeast who have been protesting against the CAB," the rights body's Director Suhas Chakma said in a statement.
He said that the CAB exposes serious lack of understanding of the Union Government and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on the nature of the problems arising out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.
"The Bhojpuris, Nepalis, Assamese and many other Indian citizens of Assam excluded from the NRC cannot claim to be persecuted non-Muslim minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. They shall forever remain stateless."
Chakma said India at present processes about 100 citizenship applications per year and therefore, Hindu refugees from Pakistan settled in Rajasthan could not be granted citizenship despite no political opposition.
He said that millions of non-Muslim Indians, especially Bengali speaking Hindus, would be made stateless first, and thereafter, made to wait till their death for processing of their citizenship applications, and will remain stateless meantime.
According to Chakma, the Muslims who are excluded from the CAB would be declared as illegal immigrants though Bangladesh government shall never accept their deportation.
"Ultimately, Indians who do not possess the documents prior to the cut off date for the proposed NRC shall suffer torture, and further pauperisation," he added.
Leaders of Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura, an ally of the ruling BJP and the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura said that they would continue to protest the amended CAB and would soon announce their future course of action in this regard.
The CAB seeks to fast track giving Indian citizenship to the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, Christians and Jains from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who entered India till December 31, 2014.
Northeast records over 50 pc voting till 3 pm despite inclement weather
In Arunachal - which is going for simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections - the Arunachal East parliamentary seat recorded a voter turnout of 56.78 per cent and the Arunachal West Lok Sabha seat witnessed 54.53 per cent voter turnout till 3 PM.
Tripura records 68.11% voter turnout till 3 PM
The electoral process for the initial phase in the West Parliamentary Constituency of Tripura commenced at 7 AM, bolstered by stringent security measures. By 3 PM, the voter turnout stood at 68.11%.
Pak-born Bangladeshi national held in Tripura with Indian documents
A 25-year-old man was arrested in Tripura while attempting to cross into Bangladesh illegally, officials said here on Friday, adding that he claimed to be a Pakistani-born Bangladeshi national who had travelled across India.
Air India suspends flights to Tel Aviv till April 30 over Iran-Israel conflict
Air India on Friday extended the suspension of its flight services to Israel's capital Tel Aviv till April 30, in the wake of prevailing conflict and tension between Israel and Iran.
Love jihad spreading, take care of your girls: K’taka Cong Corporator and father of murder victim
Niranjan Hiremath, the Congress Corporator and father of MCA student Neha Hiremath who was killed on Thursday, stated on Friday that love jihad was spreading rapidly.
Congress, CPI-M not part of INDIA bloc in Bengal: Mamata Banerjee
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Assam records 45.12 pc polling, Meghalaya's voter turnout 50.23 pc till 1 PM
An estimated 45.12 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 p.m. on Friday in the five Lok Sabha seats in Assam in the first of the seven-phased Lok Sabha elections, officials said.
Sushanta Chowdhury rules out oppositions’ allegation of unfair poll; says I.N.D.I.A bloc is sinking ship
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