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‘Monitor fake news’: MHA issues advisory to states amid protests against Citizenship Act
In Delhi, home ministry officials said they have noticed concerted attempts on social media to accuse the police of burning a bus as well as spreading rumours that two people were killed in police firing in Delhi on Sunday.
As protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act continued to spread, the Union Home Ministry on Monday issued an advisory to state governments, asking them to closely track fake news and social media messages that have the potential to incite violence.
“State governments and Union Territories (UTs) have been requested to take requisite precautionary measures to maintain law and order, peace and public tranquillity. They have also been requested to take action against circulation of fake news and rumours on social media having potential to incite violence,” said an MHA official who did not wish to be named.
“In view of the incidents of violence and damage to public property being reported from some parts of the country, it is imperative that all required measures be taken to contain violence, ensure protection of life and safety of citizens and prevent damage of property,” the MHA told states in its advisory.
In Delhi, home ministry officials said they have noticed concerted attempts on social media to accuse the police of burning a bus as well as spreading rumours that two people were killed in police firing in Delhi on Sunday. Top officials of Jamia Milia University, where the police clashed with protesting students on Sunday, denied rumours of any death on account of the police action as did Delhi Police.
The ministry also stressed that concerns around a large number of people getting Indian citizenship under the new law were premature and misplaced as the Centre is yet to finalise the rules.
“The new Act does not mean that all refugees or illegal immigrants will get Indian citizenship automatically. They will have to apply for citizenship which will be processed by the competent authority. The applicant concerned will be given Indian citizenship only after fulfilling the required criteria. He will have to apply online and the competent authority would see whether he fulfils all the qualifications for registration or naturalisation as Indian citizen,” said a second MHA official who asked not to be named
“It is only after this exercise is complete that it can be established how many people get citizenship,” this person added.
Home minister Amit Shah said at a public rally in Jharkhand: “CAA is to give citizenship to refugees persecuted on account of religion; it is not to take away citizenship of any Indian. Some parties are spreading rumours and inciting violence for their political interest. I request students to go through the CAA once and not fall into their trap.”
Home Ministry officials also stressed that 2,830 Pakistani, 912 Afghans and 172 Bangladeshi citizens have been given Indian citizenship during the past six years, many of them from the majority Muslim community of these three Islamic countries. To be sure, CAA only covers non-Muslim minorities from these three countries; Muslim refugees will still have to apply under the current rules.
The second official said the CAA protects the interests of tribals and indigenous people of the North-east by excluding areas under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and areas covered by Inner Line Permit system.
Senior advocate Upamanyu Hazarika, also a Supreme Court appointed Commissioner to study the Indo-Bangladesh border said that the rules cannot be seen away from the parent act. “It is meaningless to assume that the rules might help the region, as it is a subordinate legislation rooted in the parent act. The whole design is to give citizenship to the six communities (as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians) coming from three countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh). That remains unacceptable for Assam as well as the Northeast,” Hazarika said.
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “The people are against the CAA. There are protests everywhere, be it West Bengal, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh. The people are not ready to accept this.”
