Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari. (File Photo)

Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, has made an appeal to the protesters to maintain peace and not to indulge in violence while opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act. His remark comes in the midst of ongoing protests across the country over the amended citizenship law. Bukhari also sought to clarify that people have wrongly linked the CAA with the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

“To protest is the democratic right of the people of India. No one can stop us from doing it. However, it is important that it is done in control, keeping our emotions in control is the most important part,” he said.

“There is a difference between Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens. One is CAA that has become a law, and the other is NRC that has only been announced, it has not become a law,” Bukhari added.

Multiple reports and videos have demonstrated a state of confusion among the protestors, mostly from the minority community, over the CAA and NRC. The government has been saying that not a single Indian including people from the minority will lose their citizenship due to CAA. However, TV channels showed that protestors were gravely misinformed about the new law and are worried about their citizenship and rights.

“Under Citizenship Amendment Act, the Muslim refugees who come to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh will not get Indian citizenship. It has nothing to do with the Muslims living in India,” Bukhari said.

Violent protests against the CAA began last week in Assam, Tripura and others states including West Bengal. The situation worsened on Sunday when protests by Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi, students took a violent turn, prompting the police to fire teargas shells and lathicharge to control the situation. The protestors torched several public buses and police vehicles. Violent clashes were also reported from Seelampur and Jaffrabad areas of the national capital on Tuesday.