Police has registered a sedition case against a school in Karnataka’s Bidar district for allegedly allowing students to stage an anti-CAA, NRC play, portraying Prime Minister Narendra Modi in poor light. The case was registered on a complaint from social worker Neelesh Rakshyal on January 26, police said.
The video of the drama too has gone viral showing students enacting the play. A local resident who was part of the audience uploaded a video of the function on his Facebook page, the complainant said.
Rakshyal has alleged that that the school authorities ‘used’ the students to perform a drama on January 21, where they “abused” PM Modi for introducing the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens.
The management of Shaheen School was also booked for “promoting enmity between different groups” under Sections 124(A) and 153(A) of the Indian Penal Code.
“The management tried to create fear among the Muslims that they would have to leave the country if the CAA and NRC are implemented,” Rakshyal said.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) BJP’s student wing also jumped in and protested against the school and also a memorandum was sent to the Home Minister.
No arrests have been made so far in the case.
According to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, till December 31, 2014, facing religious persecution there, will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.
The opposition parties have termed the legislation as “unconstitutional” which “is aimed at diverting attention from the burning issues of the common people”.
Those opposing the amended law say it discriminates on the basis of religion and violates the Constitution. They also allege that the CAA, along with the proposed pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC), is intended to target India’s Muslim community.
However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government has dismissed the allegations, maintaining that the law is intended to give citizenship to the persecuted people from the three neighbouring countries and not take away citizenship from anyone.