With students from various colleges and universities across the country staging protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), students from various colleges in Ranchi have also voiced their opinions about the same.
While some students from the State capital are supporters of the Act, some others are of the opinion that the amendment was done in haste. There are also some who feel that a particular section of the society is being targeted.
“I absolutely support the Citizenship Amendment Act. Illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh should be stopped as this is not only adding up to the already existing problem of a huge population but is also posing a threat to the national security of the country. If a person is interested in coming to India and staying here, they can do so following the legal procedures. People are protesting about this either without proper knowledge about the issue or just to stay in the limelight,” said Renu Mahato, a Rural Management student from XISS.
Gaurav Pransu, a student of Integrated Masters in Physics from BIT Mesra said “The most important thing is that people first need to understand this Act. There are numerous celebrities part of the protest who have no clue about the whole thing. The government on the other hand has not been able to tell the public what the CAA, NRC is actually about and that’s why it has created so much outrage. This Act gives citizenship to someone, it does not take away one’s citizenship. Nobody’s rights are at stake here and the two cannot be combined. For those protesting, the protests should not turn violent. One should also have a solid reason to protest and not participate to be a part of crowd. I feel being a citizen of India there is anything in this Act which is against anyone.”
Siddiqua Rahman, HR student from XISS said, “CAA does not give citizenship to Muslims who came to India after December 31, 2014. Why is it that only Muslims are being targeted time and again? Whether now or in Babri Masjid case or in the Kashmir issue, are they targeted because they are part of the minority? There are other minorities in India, but why just Muslims? Because of these things, it has created a lot of rift between the various communities. When voicing one’s opinion, people are told you are only doing so because of your religious background. It’s high time we protested and stood for our rights.”
“Ours is a democratic society where every section of the society must and should have a voice and therefore any law must have the assent and approval of all including student bodies. The procedure followed to bring in the amendment seems to be hastily done. We are a young democracy and therefore I am all for young people protesting. One should not take the law in our hands but the police also need to be sensitive enough to not misbehave as such actions hurt the reputation of the country,” said Ankur Shukla, a PhD student at 11M Ranchi.
“The CAA Act is unconstitutional and violates Article 14 of the Constitution. Firstly, from where will the poor bring such documents? The BJP government has only one agenda to make India a Hindu country. The Act grants illegal immigrants citizenship and infiltrators will also get citizenship easily. The ongoing protests are proof that Indians are not fools and won’t BJP succeed in its divide and rule policy. Police brutality on Jamia and AMU students is proof that BJP ruled states have denied permission for peaceful protests against CAA, NRC,” said Rebecca Barla, a second year zoology student from St Xavier’s College.
“Citizenship Amendment Act violates the basic structure of the constitution in two ways. It targets the fundamental idea of secularism which is a part of the preamble and also violates Article 14 which is a fundamental right ensured to both citizens and non- citizens. I hope the Supreme Court will strike down this unconditional law,” said Vivek, a student from St. Xavier’s College.
