The violent protests that have broken out in various parts of the country over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is a clear indicator that it has been fanned in a particular pattern. Both leaders of the Opposition and Left-wing sympathisers have deliberately created a false narrative around the Bill and fanned violence, as a result of which public property has been damaged in large measures.

Going by the advisory of the Ministry of Home Affairs and a report prior to that by the Intelligence Bureau, it becomes clear that the violence has been stage managed as a result of which it has become a chain reaction.

Fanning violence:

There are both SIMI as well as Naxal sympathisers who have played a key role in these protests. The IB report says that cadres of these outfits have been deliberately provoking students and other locals as a result of which this protest has become violent.

The MHA has also issued an advisory urging all states to be on high alert. The MHA has also asked people to report social media posts, WhatsApp groups which have been spreading false information and fanning violence.

An MHA official speaking to MyNation confirmed that there was a deliberate attempt made to misguide the people about the issue. It is being portrayed as though the Indian Muslims will be affected as a result of this legislation, which is not at all correct, the officer also said.

The Intelligence Bureau had after the passage of the Bill in both Houses of Parliament flagged concerns and made it clear that Left sympathisers and activists, would target institutions and create violence. This has been a pattern of these persons and they are fully aware that when violence is triggered in one institution, it has an effect on the others as a result of which the violence becomes a chain reaction.

To make matters worse, there is an Opposition, which is deliberately adding fuel to the fire. Various leaders such as Mamata Banerjee or Pinarayi Vijayan have been flagging false concerns over the legislation as a result of which the people are getting further provoked.

The Naxal connect:

The Naxal connect to the protests became clear when the National Investigation Agency arrested one Akhil Gogoi in Assam. His outfit, the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) was in the forefront of the violence and agitation in Assam.

It may be recalled that the KMSS merged with the CPI (Maoist), a proscribed terror outfit. The NIA in its FIR against Gogoi says that he was responsible for meetings of the Naxalites and over ground workers in 2009. While accusing him of being part of a Maoist conspiracy, the NIA further said that he had used the passage of the Bill as an opportunity to promote enmity between different groups on the basis of religion, language and race.

He has also been accused of committing acts that are prejudicial to national integration.

The IB on the other hand says that there are similar such operatives based in West Bengal, Kerala and Delhi. These persons work behind the scenes and provoke students to come to the streets and indulge in arson. We have been studying various chat groups and from a rough analysis of the same, we have found that student leaders belonging to political parties and those linked with the Left-Wing Extremists have been urging students to come out and protest. Our analysis would also show that there was a false narrative that had been built up on these groups, which led to the protests in the first place.

Textbook SIMI:

The involvement of the SIMI does not come as a surprise. A fallen outfit, it has been looking to re-group. The very purpose of setting up the radical SIMI by Pakistan was to nurture a home-grown outfit and have that deniability factor post an attack.

The SIMI is known to have deep roots in various student organisations. Since the ban, they have worked in the background and have also backed the Maoists. In the year 2018, the Intelligence Bureau stepped up its vigil on the links. The action came in the wake of intelligence reports that suggested both SIMI and the Naxals were working together in Chhattisgarh and were planning on targeting the inaugural ceremony of the Bhilai Steel Plant which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It may also be recalled that former West Bengal Police chief Naparajit Mukherjee had told a gathering of DGPs and chief secretaries that the Naxalites had forged a deadly alliance with the ISI through over ground radicals of the SIMI. He also said that the police had noticed such developments in the districts of West Midnapore, Murshidabad, Purulia and Bankura.

Through such protests, the SIMI looks to create an oppressed class. It is aware that the police will act when the protests get extremely violent. Once these protests calm down, members of these outfits get in touch with the students, speak about their oppression and try rope them in. This is a textbook SIMI operation and one had witnessed similar instances when the SIMI built a strong outfit in the early 2000s by extensively quoting the Ayodhya issue.

A false narrative:

Nowhere in the amended legislation does it state that the same would apply to Indian Citizens. Much of the false narrative has been built around two issues; one, that Indian Muslims would be affected and two, Muslims have been left out of the purview of the legislation.

The idea is to grant citizenship to the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, Jains and Christians. It also makes it clear that the idea is to protect those who have suffered religious persecution in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Further the amendment also restricts itself to these countries where Islam is the official state religion. This amendment is aimed at providing benefits to those persons who form a minority in these three countries. To counter this false narrative further, one must also mention here that nowhere does the legislation mention that Muslims from other countries cannot apply for Indian Citizenship. Under the Act this is very much permissible after the necessary documents and the naturalisation process is completed.

Further, the MHA also says that those falling under the purview of the amended legislation will have to ensure that certain conditions are fulfilled. Firstly, documents need to be provided to prove that the person had come to India from these three countries on or before December 31, 2014. Secondly an affidavit would need to be filed stating that the persons had moved from the country due to religious persecution.

It is only once this entire process is completed, will the district administration process the fees and then send it to the Home Ministry. The MHA on the other hand after verification will decide on whether or not to grant citizenship.