NUJS Kolkata Students And Alumni Dissent Against ‘Intellectual’ Stance, Write Open Letter In Support Of CAA

Over 70 students and Alumni of West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata, have dissented against the so-called ‘intellectual’ stance on the Citizenship Amendment Act and have written an open letter in its support.

The students note that their opinion will not be a popular one but stated that dissent must not go unnoticed.

Here is the open letter authored by Shoumendu Mukherji and Avnish Kumar Singh:

We, the undersigned, are alumni and law students from the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata.

As proud Indian citizens and active, established practitioners of the legal fraternity, we voice our support for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) and condemn the premeditated violent protests and destruction of public property that has ensued from certain motivated sections in the aftermath of the passage of the Amendment Bill in both houses of Parliament.

We take this opportunity to thank our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for ensuring the CAA’s purposeful enactment that is sure to bring much needed relief to persecuted minorities from our neighbouring three countries which have shown a pervasive, systematic and institutionalised track record against such minorities.

We believe that the enactment of the CAA is by no means anti any particular community specifically Muslims and is founded on an intelligible differentia under Article 14 of the Constitution of India having a reasonable nexus with the objective it wishes to achieve, that is protecting life and liberty of oppressed minorities from three neighbouring nations.

Yet, there are certain groups in operation who for their narrow political objectives are instigating sections in our society to create disharmony and disturb peaceful co existence amongst fellow Indians. Such groups are encouraging mindless violence coupled with destruction of public property that is putting the safety of the common Indian at risk.

We are appalled by the logic fronted by those in opposition to the CAA. Though they submit that persecuted communities must be protected, yet their solidarity extends to only one particular community and not for persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians which the CAA aims to protect and harbor. India has in the past opened its doors to Tibetans and Jews. Their fears against NRC are also premature and conjectural.

We appeal to the cynics and pathological naysayers to uphold their democratic right to protest and not misuse their freedoms. Peaceful protests are not opposed. Protests that harm the safety of common citizens must be condemned. Stone pelting and arson can never be considered forms of protests.

Here is the list of signatories and their batch

1. Avnish Kumar Singh - 2021