Massive protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) have gripped the whole country. Though the protests have been largely peaceful, they turned violent in several places. Six protesters were killed in clashes that erupted across Uttar Pradesh over the CAA on Friday. This has taken the total number of protest-related deaths in the state to seven so far. On Thursday, two protesters were killed in Mangalore, in Karnataka. Violent clashes broke out in Delhi too. The situation is getting tense across the country.
Adding fuel to the fire, a minister of the BJP government in Karnataka, CT Ravi, has threatened that a post-Godhra-like situation might arise in the state if the “patience of the majority community is tested” by leaders making “inflammatory” speeches at the Citizenship (Amendment) Act rallies. The provocative statement issued by the minister is condemnable. Further, it is shocking that the governments in various states have imposed Section 144 to curb the protests. The internet, too, has been shut down in some states. The whole country is facing a tense time but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are nowhere to be seen. Before the situation goes out of control, they should appeal for peace and calm down the situation. The anti-CCA protests should not be given communal or regional colour. This has the potential to cause havoc in the country.