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‘Voices are being stifled’: Kamal Haasan on police action against students
Kamal Haasan made the comment while addressing a press conference and said the police action on protesting students was a slap in the face of democracy.
Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Tuesday condemned the police crackdown on students of Jamia Millia Islamia during Sunday’s protest against the citizenship act, saying more and more voices are being stifled.
Kamal Haasan made the comment while addressing a press conference and said the police action on protesting students was a slap in the face of democracy.
“The young will have to be politically aware and be politicians. And there is nothing wrong with it… They must ask questions. If their questions are stifled, then democracy is in a dangerous ICU. I am a student in my field… I will continue to [raise my] voice for them,” Kamal Haasan said.
“We will take our fight in the right way, in the right direction and our fight will be linear and towards a legal solution to it,” he said.
Protests against the citizenship act on Sunday turned into violent clashes after four public buses were set on fire in south Delhi.
Dozens were injured in the clashes near Jamia Millia Islamia, following which the police entered the campus and lathi-charged several students, leading to allegations of brutality.
His party Makkal Needhi Maiam had on Monday filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA that was cleared by Parliament last week.
The MNM said in its petition that ensuring special protection for religious minorities, while excluding it for linguistic minorities is “unconstitutional”.
The citizenship act should be declared unconstitutional as it is violative of Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India and therefore should be struck down, the MNM said in the petition.
Kamla Haasan had earlier criticised the amended citizenship bill, saying it was a “stupid attempt” to make India a country for one sect.
“It is stupid to attempt to make India a country for one sect. Young India will reject such plans soon. It is not primitive India for your old plans,” he had said.
