After protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in some Indian universities turned violent due to clashes between police and students on Sunday night. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given his first official statement on the matter on his Twitter handle.
Amid raging protests across the country over the Citizenship Amendment Act. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday described the violence over the issue as “unfortunate and deeply distressing”. The PM stressed that violence and arson have never been a part of the Indian ethos.
“Violent protests on the Citizenship Amendment Act are unfortunate and deeply distressing. Debate, discussion and dissent are essential parts of democracy but, never has damage to public property and disturbance of normal life been a part of our ethos,” PM Modi tweeted on his Twitter account.
The PM categorically stated that the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019. Passed by the Parliament last week in no way affected the citizenship or rights of Indian nationals.
He also claimed that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act illustrated “India’s centuries-old culture of acceptance, harmony, compassion and brotherhood”.
He called on everyone to work together and defeat attempts by groups with a vested interest to create a divide in the society.
The PM Modi’s remarks came as violence erupted on and near university campuses in several states. Clashes took place between students and police at the Jamia Millia Islamia university in Delhi. Aligarh Muslim University in Aligarh and Nadwa College in Lucknow.