Hyderabad: Community organizations are planning civil disobedience if the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is implemented. Comprising ex-bureaucrats, and religious, political and social leaders, they said, at a conference, that the "NRC is unconstitutional, and an attempt towards making India a Hindutva nation. We are ready to sacrifice for democracy, as NRC and CAA are a blatant attempt to burn the secular fabric of the country."
The roundtable conference was organised by Tahreek Muslim Shabban, and called for boycotting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and to reject the pan-India implementation of the NRC. It also decided to constitute a joint action committee to mobilize against the CAA and NRC and hold a mega protest involving non-Muslim organizations. The participants also suggested that the TRS leadership be urged to pass a resolution against the in the assembly against the CAA. "Government has 'malafide intentions to crush religious freedom of Muslims," Mushtaq Malik, president of the Tahreek, said. "The CAA and NRC will be highly disruptive, creating social tension and putting further strain on the economy and the social fabric of this country".
Shafeeq uz Zaman, former special chief secretary said minorities and others were demoralized by the spreading of video clips of mob lynching.
Law enforcement agencies did not restrict such messages on social media, but when the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the Ayodhya dispute, police advisories asked the public to refrain from raising dissent. The government succeeded in its mission.
He urged that a team of legal experts be constituted to provide legal aid to those prosecuted for expressing dissent. The government will first implement National Register of Citizens and later the CAA.
“We have to give a clear message that we are ready for detention centres, but will not submit documents to prove our inhabitancy.”
Former chairman of the Minorities Commission, Abid Rasool Khan said that other communities will suffer more than Muslims but the Narendra Modi government is projecting it as if only Muslims will suffer. He felt the government had asked the media not to highlight the ongoing agitation in the Eastern states.
Moulana Hamid Mohammed Khan of the Jamaat e Islami Hind said that an Indian could not endorse laws that violated the tenets of the Constitution. Every citizen has the right to practice the religion of his choice, but citizenship can't be decided on religion. A protest meeting will be held on Sunday at Dharna Chowk.
Moulana Naseeruddin of Wahdat e Islami suggested that other social outfits be involved and protests held at the district level. Mujahid Hashmi of the Awami Majlis e Amal suggested involving Masjid sermonizers to educate common people.
Prof. Mohammed Ansari of Awaaz emphasised mobilizing women as they would suffer most if the NRC was implemented. We and our children may have birth certificates and property papers, but mothers and poor women who migrated after marriage might not able to provide valid documentary evidence.
Moulana Mufti Giyas Rahmani of Jamiat Ulema Hind (Arshad Madani group) called for more interaction with the heads of the ruling parties of the two Telugu States and convince them not to support such laws that divide the nation on the basis of religion.
