More than 200 Christain leaders lambast government over CAA and NRC

New Delhi, 23 Dec 2019 [Fik/News Sources]: In a sign of solidarity, more than 200 Christian leaders from across India have condemned the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019, and “brutal repression” of protests by youth and civil society against the legislation.

“We express our solidarity with the students and others who have been grievously injured and pray for their speedy recovery,” said the statement signed among others by Father George Pattery, head of the Jesuits in India, former theology professor T K John, human rights activist John Dayal, and Evangelical Fellowship of India general secretary Reverend Vijayesh Lal.

“We are appalled that a majority of members in both Houses of Parliament rushed through in voting the highly contentious CAA 2019 without paying sufficient attention to the concerns of the people of India. The letter and spirit the Constitution, framed by men and women who had participated in the freedom struggle, cannot be thrown out at the whims of a particular ideology. We are deeply saddened at the haste in which the President of India gave his assent,” the statement reads.

The religion-based citizenship laws imposed by the Hindu nationalist government has evoked comparisons with Adolf Hitler’s Nuremberg decree excluding people on the grounds of religion. Vehemently opposing, resisting and protesting against CAA and NRC, Christian leaders warned that all these were aimed at polarising communities in the name of religion, excluding the minorities and making a majoritarian, theocratic hegemony.

“It is extremely shameful for a patriotic citizen of India that even a brave decorated former Indian soldier and Kargil war hero, Mr. Mohammad Sanaullah, has been declared an illegal immigrant by the flawed NRC process and incarcerated in detention,” the statement reads.