Two images: first, policemen wielding lathis against students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act; second, buses being set ablaze. Two conflicting narratives: a victimised Muslim community, or ‘jihadists’ attacking public property. Yet the real issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act and the impending all-India NRC is not just about religious communities or about Hindu vs Muslim. It’s actually about India’s big state attempting once again to subdue citizens. Hindu vs Muslim is only the dog-whistle to consolidate vote banks; in actuality, CAA-NRC is about expanding and legitimising brutally coercive state power.
What will CAA and an all-India NRC mean on the ground? The state will get to decide who is a citizen, who is a refugee, who belongs to which religion, Read More
