The Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) was passed in the Parliament on December 11, 2019. According to the Act, Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who have lived in India for six years will be granted citizenship. Earlier, 12 years of residence was the standard eligibility requirement for naturalisation.
After the Bill was passed in both the houses of the Parliament, a petition was filed stating that the legislation discriminates against Muslims and violates the right to equality enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Though some people believe that while the CAA itself is harmless, combined with the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) it will become a tool to exclude the Muslim population of the country. Protests over the Bill raged across the country for over two months from December 2019 to February 2020.
Here’s a timeline of the event unfolded:
4 December, 2019
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was cleared by the Union Cabinet for introduction in the Parliament
After the bill was cleared, violent protests erupted in Assam, especially in Guwahati, and other areas in the state
9 December, 2019
The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Home Minister Amit Shah
10 December, 2019
The Bill passed with 311 members voting in favour and 80 against
11 December, 2019
Rajya Sabha passed the bill with 125 votes in favour and 105 votes against it
12 December, 2019
After receiving assent from the President of India, the Bill assumed the status of an Act
Akhil Gogoi was taken in preventive custody
Protests begin at Shaheen Bagh, New Delhi
13 December, 2019
UK, US, France, Israel and Canada issued travel warnings for their citizens visiting India’s north-east region
Chief ministers of West Bengal, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh stated that they would not implement the Act
14 December, 2019
Thousands of people protested against the law at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi
15 December, 2019
In Jamia Nagar, Delhi, three Delhi Transport Corporation buses were torched as protests took a violent turn
Police allegedly entered the campus of Jamia Millia Islamia university forcefully and detained students
16 December, 2019
Priyanka Gandhi led a silent protest at the India Gate along with about 300 Congress workers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed for calm on Twitter and clarified that CAA was for immigrants
17 December, 2019
Violent clashes occurred in Delhi’s Seelampur area. Police retaliated with tear gas and batons against the stone throwing protesters. Several protesters and officers were injured
18 December, 2019
The Supreme Court of India heard 60 petitions challenging the Act and declined to stay implementation of CAA
19 December, 2019
Access to internet was shut down in certain places in Delhi and Bangalore and certain regions of Uttar Pradesh
In Delhi, politicians Yogendra Yadav and Sitaram Yechury along with around 1,200 protesters were detained
Historian Ramchandra Guha along with several other professors were detained
20 December, 2019
Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad holds a protest march at the Jama Masjid in Delhi
21 December, 2019
Azad was arrested along with 27 people
23 December, 2019
AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan booked for “sharing an objectionable post” against the Act
24 December, 2019
The Centre approved updation of the National Population Register (NPR) and allocated Rs 3,941.35 crore for it
27 December, 2019
357 people, including 75 women, protesting against CAA were detained by the Delhi police
29 December, 2019
The Shaheen Bagh protests, which started around 11 December gathered mainstream media attention
30 December, 2019
Delhi Police arrested street vendors, accusing them of stone pelting and inciting violence during the Jamia Millia Islamia attacks
31 December, 2019
Protests held during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Delhi, Hyderabad, Bhubaneshwar, Mumbai and Kolkata
5 January, 2020
A masked mob, armed with rods and sticks, attacked the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, injuring more than 40 students and teachers
8 January, 2020
PM Modi cancelled his visit to Assam, while the CAA protests continue
9 January, 2020
JNU students attempted to march towards Rashtrapati Bhavan
10 January, 2020
The Citizenship Amendment Act came into force
The Delhi High Court dismissed a plea to remove the protesters occupying Shaheen Bagh
12 January, 2020
The Congress demanded withdrawal of CAA and stopping of the process to update NPR
14 January, 2020
The Kerala Government approached the Supreme Court to challenge the CAA under Section 131 of the Constitution and became the first state to do so
15 January, 2020
Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad granted bail
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) postpones all exams due to the ongoing CAA protests
17 January, 2020
Inspired by the Shaheen Bagh protest, around 10,000 women gathered at the YMCA ground in Mumbai to protest in the evening
19 January, 2020
In Delhi, hundreds of protesters joined a protest march holding lighted candles from Jamia University to Shaheen Bagh
In Berlin, Germany more than 200 people join the protest march against CAA, NRC and the JNU attack
25 January, 2020
In London, around 2,000 people from the Indian diaspora and the Human Rights organisation conducted a protest march against CAA from the Downing Street to the Indian High Commission
26 January, 2020
More than 300 eminent personalities, including actor Naseeruddin Shah, Javed Jaffrey, and filmmaker Mira Nair signed and issued an open statement against the CAA
30 January, 2020
A juvenile opened fire at a protest at the Jamia Millia Islamia, injuring one student
Bihar Police detained CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar
31 January, 2020
Opposition parties, led by the Indian National Congress, wore black armbands and vacated front row seats to protest against the new law during President Ram Nath Kovind’s address to the Joint Session of the Parliament of India for 2020 budget session
1 February, 2020
Shots were fired in the air during the Shaheen Bagh protests
Thousands of LGBT rights activists protest against the CAA in Mumbai
11 February, 2020
Jamia Millia Islamia students staged a march to the Parliament
17 February, 2020
Magsaysay Award recipient Sandeep Pandey arrested by the Lucknow police for attempting to protest
19 February, 2020
Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres expressed concerns over the possibility of millions being rendered stateless due to the CAA and NRC
22 February, 2020
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray decided to not pass a resolution against the CAA
23 February, 2020
The protest in the Jafrabad Metro Station continued for the second day
24 February, 2020
One policeman and four protestors were killed and several shops and vehicles were burnt during a violent protest in Delhi
13 people were killed in the North East Delhi riots
25 February, 2020
Shoot-at-sight order was issued by Delhi Police after the anti-CAA and pro-CAA protests became violent
3 March, 2020
The UN high commissioner filed an intervention application in the Supreme Court to be made a party in the case.
