Legisl­ation covers certai­n religi­ous minori­ties but not Muslim­sNEW DEHLI: India’s lower house passed on Tuesday legislation that would grant citizenship to members of certain religious minorities but not Muslims, sparking protests in the country’s northeast. The bill covers select groups — including Hindus, Christians and Sikhs — who moved from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and were living in India for at least six years. India effectively strips four million of citizenship in AssamDemonstrators in the state are angry about the bill not because it excludes Muslims but because it grants citizenship to settlers from elsewhere, accusing the migrants of taking away jobs from indigenous groups. In Tuesday’s protests in Assam, the militant North East Students’ Organization (NESO) vandalised offices of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and set banners and posters on fire. “We have identified the stone pelters by seeing video footage and they will be booked soon,” Assam police official Surjeet Singh Panesar said.

Source: The Express Tribune January 08, 2019 17:26 UTC