Editor,
There is apprehension about a possible link between the sudden spurt of violence in Meghalaya and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019.
Sujit Dutta and Esan Singh were found dead in Ichamati in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district on 27 March, hours after an organisation took out a protest against the CAA. Recently, a local labourer, Mawlai Mawroh, was killed in Meghalaya in spite of his having a labour licence. It appears that the CAA has increased the divide between the tribal and the non-tribal people of Meghalaya.
The NRC-CAA combination and the non-acceptance of a voter ID as sufficient document for citizenship have raised more questions than they could answer. Given that the members of the Lok Sabha and the state assembly are directly elected by the voters, it is akin to putting a big question mark behind all of them. Should a government ask some voters to prove whether they are citizens of a country or not after being elected by votes, including the votes of those voters?
How could a government challenge the way it has been elected while completing its term of five years? Moreover, the CAA has gone against the secular character of the Constitution by removing one particular religion from the selection process.
Anything that can increase the divide between different communities and create fear psychosis in the minds of the voters of our country should be avoided. It could spell disaster in our country, which has achieved unity by accepting its rich diversity.
Sujit De,
Kolkata