City
Epaper

Indian-Americans protest against CAA, NRC, NPR on R-Day

By IANS | Updated: January 27, 2020 12:10 IST

Hundreds of members of the Indian-American community took to the streets in California to mark India's Republic Day and protest against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the National Population Register (NRC).

Open in App

The protest rally took place on Sunday in the city of Artesia, about 19 miles from Los Angeles, reports Indica News.

Rajashik Tarafder, a research scholar at Caltech who participated in the rally, said: "Even if the Supreme Court sides with the government, I encourage all the people in India and abroad to do what is right and resist. Legal or not, the CAA and NRC must be repealed to preserve the spirit of the Constitution."

The rally in Artesia was one of several organized across the US, from Decatur, Illinois to Waltham, Massachusetts, as part of a National Day of Action.

Prerna Chawla, one of the organizers of Sunday's rally who also helped to put together a December protest in front of the LA City Hall, said: "We came together as a group organically in December after being distraught about what was happening in our motherland... After our first protest at LA City Hall, we wanted to go on fighting against the CAA and NRC and decided to take our protest to Artesia.

"We stood in solidarity with all the protestors across India who are still standing tall after being threatened and tortured for what they believe in."

After the CAA was passed in India in December 2019, there have been protests in country and abroad to oppose the Act that gives citizenship rights to non-Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who sought refuge in India before 2015, Indica News added in the report.

Ali Muzaffar, who came all the way from Atlanta to participate in the rally, said that they would be going to San Francisco over the coming weekend "to continue our drive and raise our voices again".

Meanwhile, Bilal Hussain, LGBTQ+ activist and also an organizer, said that "although the current state of affairs in India is perilous, seeing people from various identities come together to stand in solidarity gives me hope".

"This is just the first of many actions that will hold our community accountable."

A group of volunteers also walked from door to door the city's Pioneer Boulevard, speaking to shop-owners about the CAA and the releated protests in India.

The rally ended with the participants singing the Indian National Anthem.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: indiaCAAArtesiaThe Supreme Court
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalIranian President Calls for Constructive Role of Brics to Halt West Asia Conflict During Talks With PM Modi

LifestyleEid 2026 Date: When Will Saudi Arabia, UAE and India Celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr?

MaharashtraMaharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis Unfurls 200-Foot National Flag at Nagpur’s Kasturchand Park

NationalAhmedabad Traffic Update for India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup Final: Check Road Closures and Alternate Routes Near Narendra Modi Stadium

AurangabadLocal industries feel heat of Global conflict

International Realted Stories

International"Trump is trying to make fake narratives as there is no obliteration of Iran's air defence or Navy," says Iranian expert

InternationalSouth Korean, French ministers discuss deepening cultural cooperation

International"With a little more time, we can open Strait of Hormuz," says Donald Trump

InternationalUS Efforts To Recover Downed F-35 Fighter Pilot Fail: Iranian Media

InternationalRecord fuel hike triggers public outrage in Pakistan