Delhi went up in flames on Monday as violence raged in the northeastern parts of the Capital for the second day around the Modi government’...
Delhi went up in flames on Monday as violence raged in the northeastern parts of the Capital for the second day around the Modi government’s plans to institute a National Register of Citizens. Five people have been killed in the violence so far, with large-scale arson and vandalism taking place in several neighbourhoods.
This is unfolding at a time when the United States president is visiting India, ensuring that the eyes of the international media are on the country.
The trigger for this violence is clear: the Bharatiya Janata Party’s repeated promises to carry out an NRC to identify undocumented immigrants. BJP leaders have repeatedly connected the NRC to the Citizenship Amendment Act, which awards Indian citizenship to undocumented migrants from three countries on the basis of religion – pointedly excluding Muslims. With this, top leaders such as Amit Shah, have communicated that only Muslims will have to undergo a citizenship test.
Complete confusion exists on how this NRC will be carried out. Assam recently published its NRC – but the exercise was so riddled with errors that even the BJP wants it to be conducted again. If this is the situation for Assam’s 3 crore citizens, the chaos that would result from an NRC for 130 crore Indians can only...
