CAA Protest: IIT students, alumni draft petition demanding ‘review’ of law

NEW DELHI: A section of students, teachers and alumni of the Indian Institutes of Technology has drafted a petition condemning the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, and demanding that it be revised. The petition urges Parliament to “impartially” address the concerns expressed against it

Posted online on December 16, the petition has garnered over 550 signatures from students across the IITs. This follows a similar petition that emerged from the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad on December 16 and by the evening had over 1,000 signatures. The CAA was passed by the Narendra Modi government last week.

With the police action against student protesters as the backdrop, the petition also demands that the democratic right to protest be upheld for all students in the country. Students have been asked to sign the petition and if they comment, to mention their batch and campus. Over Monday and Tuesday, students of IIT Madras, Bombay, Delhi and Kanpur have protested against the CAA and in support of student protesters in the universities.

‘Sets a dangerous precedent’

The petition does not reject the entire Act but recognises that certain parts of it are implicitly discriminatory against Muslims and undermine the secular identity of the country.

“We welcome the idea of providing refuge to persecuted minorities from three neighbouring countries,” says the petition. “However, the understated intent of using religious identity as a criterion to decide claims to citizenship—that explicitly excludes Muslims—is outright communal, sends an insidious political message and sets a dangerous precedent. It contravenes the right to equality and secular citizenship enshrined in the Indian Constitution—that sets us apart from religious theocracies across the world.”

‘Despotism’ will trigger unrest

In the petition, students have once again registered their strong disapproval of the violent methods used to contain anti-CAA protests by university students.

On December 15, students of Jamia Millia Islamia University and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) staging an anti-CAA demonstration faced the batons and tear gas shells of the police on campus. Even students not involved in protests were not spared.

The petition says: “There seems to be a pattern of the state using violent powers to curb dissent. We fear that this despotism would trigger unrest across the country, as is already happening in various states.” Calling the act illegal, the petition condemned the attack on students who were not a part of the protest and were studying in the library or praying in the mosque.

To retain the “democratic spirit of the country,'' the IIT community has asked for the revision of the law in accordance with the basic tenets of the Indian Constitution.

Expression of Dissent

Scores of students and alumni have registered their support for the petition – some anonymously. They are currently enrolled in, or have graduated, from IITs old and new, including Kanpur, Hyderabad, Bombay, Roorkee, Ropar, Delhi, Madras, Gandhinagar and Dhanbad.

“I…condemn the action of the government. I am willing to support the protestors who [are] involved in the protest peacefully,” read one comment. Questioning the merit of the amended law, another comment said: “The bill is ill-drafted with multiple questions that have not been addressed and the law has been passed in a heavy-handed manner.” Highlighting the violation of the principles of secularism and equality, a comment read: “If something is done, equality should be maintained. Secularism is not something to be just written off and left. And what about atheists? Are they not allowed to be a part of the community or they should [be] forced to accept [being bound] under the religion that they had left.”

On December 17, a peaceful protest was called in IIT-Kanpur to voice their disapproval on the CAA and violence against students of Jamia and AMU. However, before the protest took place, the Dean informed the students that section 144 has been imposed on the campus which prohibits an assembly of four or more people in an area. Undeterred, the students held their ground and continued to protest peacefully. Later all demonstrators were asked by the police to raise their hands and march 'to ensure that they do not have arsons'.

The IIM petition

The IITians’ campaign against the CAA follows a similar exercise at the Indian Institutes of Management. A petition originating from IIM-Ahmedabad has been signed by over 1,000 teachers and students from across the IIM system, other business schools and even a few from the IITs.

The petition said that the Act violates the basic structure of the Indian Constitution. “It is inconsistent with the cherished values of equality under law and secularism. It institutionalises preferential treatment based on religion which is in direct conflict with the inclusive spirit on which our nation was formed,” the petition said.

Stressing on the plight citizens of the north-eastern states, the petition said: “The Act, in its current form, is also likely to harm the interests of the indigenous people of India’s Northeast. India, as a signatory to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, has a responsibility to protect the land, cultural and linguistic rights of the indigenous people.”