Hours after the Union government notified rules under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on Monday, March 11, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Youth Congress held protests against the Act in Kerala.
The first protest march in the state following the notification was held by the DYFI in Malappuram district. Later the Youth Congress blocked two trains as part of their protest.
The DYFI protest in Malappuram was led by the LDF candidate for the Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency V Vaseef. Following this, DYFI activists staged night marches in Kozhikode, Kollam, and various other parts of Kerala.
Youth Congress activists blocked the Malabar Express at the Kozhikode railway station. They were forcefully removed by the police. Due to the protest, the train was delayed by around 30 minutes. Youth Congress activists also blocked Maveli Express at the Ernakulam South railway station. Here too, the police forcefully removed the activists.
Welfare Party and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) organised a protest march to Raj Bhavan, the governor’s residence, in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed in the Lok Sabha on December 11, 2019. The Bill amended the Citizenship Act of 1955. The Act prohibited a foreign illegal migrant (a person without valid travel documents) from acquiring Indian citizenship, with the exception of those who came into India on or before December 31, 2014 from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, or Pakistan and belong to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, or Christian religious communities.
Earlier in February, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the CAA rules will be notified and implemented before the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said CAA will not be implemented in Kerala. "The LDF government has repeated several times that the Citizenship Amendment Act, which treats Muslim minorities as second-class citizens, will not be implemented in Kerala. We reiterate that position. Kerala will stand united in opposing this communal and divisive law," he said.