-United Nations News A new law in India which expedites citizenship for certain religious minorities has been criticized by the UN human rights office for being “fundamentally discriminatory in nature.” The amendment to the Citizenship Act gives priority to Hindus, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians resident in India before 2014, but excludes Muslims, including minority sects. “Although India’s broader naturalization laws remain in place, these amendments will have a...

-The Indian Express UN Human Rights office: "Although India's broader naturalization laws remain in place, these amendments will have a discriminatory effect on people's access to nationality." Amid protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the Human Rights office at the United Nations has expressed concern over the new law saying that it is “fundamentally discriminatory in nature”. “We are concerned that the new #CitizenshipAmendmentAct is fundamentally discriminatory in nature. Goal of protecting persecuted...

-The Telegraph The Opposition’s feebleness at this moment of crisis for our secular, democratic founding principles is deeply worrying Once the chariot starts rolling, it is difficult to stop it. The Union home minister’s announcement in Parliament last week that the National Register of Citizens will be carried out throughout the country, including Assam in the ‘natural course of events’, rang with the confidence of a rolling chariot that can ignore all...

-The Times of India blog The Prime Minister expressed concern about ‘population explosion’ in his Independence Day speech, and referred to those with small families as patriotic, ‘responsible citizens’. Last month, BJP MP Rakesh Sinha introduced the Population Regulation Bill, 2019, in the Rajya Sabha. He later claimed that his Bill was not aimed at any religion, caste or community. Regardless, the Shiv Sena targeted a section of the Muslims for...

-Livemint.com The institutional bias against Muslims in our police force needs to be corrected urgently. Police personnel must be made to undergo sensitization courses A sample survey of attitudes does not offer an accurate map of anyone’s mind. Yet, responses to questions do point to people’s underlying motivations, biases, beliefs and justifications for these. According to a recent survey, every second policeman believes that Indian Muslims are “naturally prone" to crime. Perhaps...