IIM students, teachers slam Citizenship Amendment Act

Dec 16, 2019
New Delhi:  Over 1,000 students and faculty of premier management institutes, primarily the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), have issued a statement against the Citizenship Amendment Act, calling it “discriminatory and violative of the Constitution”.

The online letter, signed and endorsed by as many as 1,053 students and teachers, says: “As citizens and members of the academic community, we write to register our protest at the recent enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019.”

This letter marks another strong protest against the CAA as has been seen across the universities in the country.

“The Act is discriminatory and violative of the basic structure of the Indian Constitution. It is inconsistent with the cherished values of equality under law and secularism. It institutionalises preferential treatment based on religion which is in direct conflict with the inclusive spirit on which our nation was formed.

“Additionally, the Act is inconsistent with India’s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the international law principle of non-refoulement of refugees, irrespective of caste, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or political ideology,” the letter said.

“The Act, in its current form, is also likely to harm the interests of the indigenous people of India’s Northeast. India, as a signatory to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, has a responsibility to protect the land, cultural and linguistic rights of the indigenous people. We advocate a comprehensive asylum law while protecting the legitimate interests of the indigenous people,” the letter added, slamming the CAA.

The letter is signed by students, alumni and faculty of IIMs-Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Indore, Udaipur, Ranchi, Raipur, Calcutta, amd Lucknow among others, as well as the XLRI and several premier management institutes like FMS Delhi. IANS