The social movement in India against the ruling party’s citizenship amendment bill is not dying out soon despite the government’s best efforts to curb the protests in the most brutal ways. Trying to bring the bill under the umbrella of concern, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is trying its best to render several people stateless within India and the people of India are out in rebellion. The number of people out on the streets, discarding the security threat that the state itself is posing, shows how committed they are to the idea of a secular India where hate politics has no space. India in the last couple of years has witnessed the rise of xenophobia and hate speech primarily because of the radical views of the ruling party.
This has reaffirmed the radical beliefs of certain segments of the population that now wish to join the movement against certain minorities, particularly Muslims. The Indian government is ready to take whatever steps are required to establish the superiority of their narrative. We have witnessed that in the form of the statement by the Indian Army Chief regarding tensions with Pakistan at the Line of Control (LOC) in the upcoming days. They are ready to spruce up the narrative against Pakistan in order to turn the population in this favour. However, the huge amount of support against the bill shows that people are committed to a diverse India. Many are influenced by the movement in Hong Kong for democracy and despite the casual loss of lives and state police using violence against its own people, they are not ready to back down.
Indian activities within its own borders and in the region need to be monitored before a refugee crisis emerges. With the lockdown in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) along with India’s persistent efforts to outcaste Muslims within the society, there is a chance that more violent activities against the Muslims in India will erupt. With the state trying to curb protests, this situation is likely to persist. The recent wave of protests - 30,000 people in Bangalore, 20,000 in Siliguri, thousands in Chennai, with rallies in New Delhi, Guwahati, and other cities - is likely to be met with greater retaliation. The workings of this fascist regime need to be monitored before another global crisis erupts.