MillenniumPost
Editorial

Volatile affair

The agitation against the new citizenship law had two shades in the Capital on Sunday as well as Monday. While Shaheen Bagh continued to be a peaceful protest led by women, the sit-in near Jaffarabad turned violent with clashes against pro-CAA protestors. Stone pelting incidents were reported near Maujpur-Babarpur Metro Station while some vehicles were set on fire in Yamuna Vihar and at least two houses and a fire tender were torched in Jaffrabad and Maujpur. The ever-volatile situation burst into a violent episode with the entry of pro-CAA crowd led by BJP leader Kapil Mishra on Sunday. There lies, perhaps, no reason for a pro-CAA gathering since CAA is already a law of the land. Protests are held against it. Protest for CAA is utterly meaningless. What are these pro-CAA protestors protesting for? The law is already in effect as notified by the Gazette of India on January 10, 2020. The pro-CAA procession that marched near the anti-CAA demonstrators was, then, apparently to further annoy the anti-CAA protestors who responded in what later became a stone-pelting affair. It had been an entirely different issue if the anti-CAA agitators would have become violent of their own accord, indulging in arson and defacing public property. However, nothing of that sort occurred in the past months. The very entry of those hailing the CAA can be understood to be a reason for a flashpoint. Even so, violence is never the answer. Law and order must prevail. The anti-CAA stir has been one of the defining moments of the new year and yet, Supreme Court has been surprisingly slow in assessing the constitutional validity of the law. With one hearing in three months, the situation clearly demands expedited scrutiny of the law. With distressing news of violence from Aligarh as well as Northeast Delhi, the matter is grave enough for the Supreme Court to form the constitutional bench and convene the hearing at the earliest. While the judiciary has to follow the due procedure of law, the circumstances create a sense of urgency.

Next Story
Share it