Sedition charges against 3000 anti-CAA protesters dropped, says CM Hemant Soren

Weeks after formation, the Hemant Soren led Jharkhand government recommended to drop sedition charges against 3000 unidentified persons who participated in anti-CAA protests in the Wasseypur area of Dhanbad district.

In a letter sent to the state administration, the CM asked to drop the sedition case and take action against the concerned official. He also posted pictures of the letter on Twitter.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Soren said, "Laws are not made to frighten and silence the people but to instill a feeling of safety in the public. My government will work towards being the voice of the people. We have recommended taking back the sedition cases registered against 3,000 people and also asked for action against the concerned official."

He further added that "I also urge the people of Jharkhand that it is their state and abiding the law and order is their duty."

साथ साथ दोषी अधिकारी के ख़िलाफ़ समुचित करवाई की अनुशंसा कर दी गयी है।

साथ ही मैं झारखंड के सभी भाइयों/बहनों से अपील करना चाहूँगा की राज्य आपका है, यहाँ के क़ानून व्यस्था का सम्मान करना हमारा कर्तव्य है। 2/2

— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) January 8, 2020

The district administration had registered cases against seven named and 3,000 unnamed people for staging an anti-CAA protest march on Tuesday night without permission.

Anti-CAA protests have intensified across India, with some of them turning violent, ever since the controversial Act came into effect on December 9. The ones protesting against the act claim that it is against the secular principles of our constitution and that it discriminates against Muslims, especially posing a risk after the National Register of Citizens (NRC) comes into effect. These claims have been refuted by the BJP. Several top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have assured that Indian Muslims that they need not worry due to the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act as the government is committed to protecting the rights of everyone, including Muslims of this country.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act aims to provide for Indian citizenship to the Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India instead of the current mandatory stay of 11 years even if they do not possess any document.