Front Page
Protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act in Delhi continue to dominate the front pages of mainstream newspapers Wednesday.
The Hindu and The Times of India lead with the violent protests in Seelampur, where agitators clashed with the Delhi Police. The Indian Express and Hindustan Times choose to lead with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments on the nationwide protests, blaming everyone — from the Congress to ‘urban naxals’ — for the demonstrations.
Seelampur clashes: TOI notes that the police and the “2000-odd protesters” fought a “pitched battle” in Seelampur. The protesters attacked “cops and residents with stones, bottles and sticks”, it writes. The Hindu adds that “two police booths were set on fire and three vehicles, including two police bikes, were damaged”.
Newspapers, however, give different figures of the number of people injured in the protests. Hindu and HT peg the number at 21, including 15 policemen, while TOI says over 34 people were injured. Most newspapers feature photographs from the protests.
PM Modi on protests: Hindustan Times says Modi “blamed the Congress and the ‘urban naxals’ for protests against India’s new citizenship law”. It adds that Modi “urged the opposition to stop ‘spreading lies’ and indulging in ‘dirty politics’”.
In a boxed report, TOI notes that Union Home Minister Amit Shah defended the police action in Jamia Millia Islamia Sunday and said it was done to contain “mob violence”. Shah further said that “one should not exaggerate the protests”.
China’s attempt to discuss Kashmir in UN fails: “A move by China to get the Kashmir issue on the agenda for consultations in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has been thwarted by other members led by the US and France,” writes Express.
HT highlights this was the “second such effort since an earlier meet on the Kashmir issue on August 16”. At that time as well, China’s attempt to “have an open and formal meet was rebuffed” and the members only agreed to hold “closed consultations”.
Musharraf death sentence: “Pakistan’s former dictator General Pervez Musharraf was on Tuesday sentenced to death in absentia in the high treason case for subverting the Constitution in 2007”, writes Express and notes that the Pakistan Army “swiftly” condemned the judgment.
In the ‘Explained’ box, it writes: “It’s far better for the Pakistan Army to leave the business of government to civilian, while it remains in control from behind the scenes, as now.”
Hindu adds that Musharraf, who is in Dubai now, said in a video statement that he is “being victimised”.
Opinion
TOI: The newspaper questions if the conviction of former BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar by a special court for the 2017 Unnao rape case is an example of delayed justice. The court noted that the victim’s struggle for justice was a “struggle against the system meant to give her justice”, and found that the CBI investigation had “suffered from patriarchal approach”, writes TOI.
Safeguards for preventing “re-victimisation” of rape survivors failed — the “core challenge” in addressing crimes against victims, feels TOI. A woman police officer should have been involved in the case, and considering Sengar was a four-time MLA, the girl should have been given security.
Despite strengthening of anti-rape laws after the 2012 case, failure to register crimes and safeguard witnesses continue. “True deterrence”, writes TOI, requires “timely legal processes and calibrated punishment”. Political parties, adds TOI, need to refrain from fielding candidates accused of sexual assault. The newspaper in this context mentions that between 2009-19, there has been an increase of 850% in the number of Lok Sabha MPs with a history of sexaul assault cases.
HT: In ‘How to quell the CAA unrest’, HT points out that the government faces opposition to the Citizenship Act from three main quarters — ideological critics concerned with constitutional values, Muslims and the Northeast.
The unrest has greatly harmed India’s “democratic stability and international image”, feels HT. Critics who feel the Act is unconstitutional should approach the Supreme Court, and should “put in the work”, like BJP has done for decades, to “get the numbers to battle this agenda” through peaceful protests and electoral mobilisation, suggests HT.
To deal with the discontent of Muslims and the Northeast, the “onus lies on the government” to “reconsider its decision to have an NRC”, as it is seen as an “instrument which will target the poor and Muslims”. It should find other ways to update citizen records, advises HT.
Prime Time
With Delhi plunging into chaos after protests against the Citizenship Act turned violent, prime time debated the opposition to the new law.
On NDTV, anchor Nidhi Razdan interviewed CPI leader and former JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who said: “Amit Shah understands the power of student politics, having been in it himself….which is why he does not want student politics to remain.”
On Republic TV, anchor Arnab Goswami said #PseudosBackViolence.
India Today anchor Rahul Kanwal asked pointed questions to Amit Shah on the entire matter — whether he questioned the Delhi Police on why they barged into the campus of Jamia Millia Islamia without permission, why citizenship could not be granted to all those who have been persecuted, irrespective of religion, about the timing of bringing in the new law, about the fear that has gripped the minority communities due to the National Register of Citizens, among others.
Times Now: Anchor Navika Kumar ditched her debate on the #NewsHour to interview Amit Shah on a range of topics — from the Citizenship Act, Pragya Singh Thakur’s comments to the 2012 Delhi gangrape case.
On student protests against the Citizenship Act, Shah blamed the opposition, saying, “Select parties of the Opposition are trying to hide their political movement under the garb of a student movement…. I have seen student movements and even participated in them. These are not student movements.”
On the prime minister’s comments about identifying protesters by their clothes (alluding to Muslims), Shah replied, “See the video and then tell me, do you not recognise people according to their clothes?”
Kumar retorted, saying: “Are we singling out?”, to which Shah’s reply was, “Not at all, no one is singling out. Just see the video and tell me you don’t recognise who is protesting.”
CNN-News18: Following the protests at Seelampur, the debate with anchor Marya Shakil was whether ‘anti-social elements have hijacked the protest’ on #CAAShowdown.
Questioning the Citizenship Act, Jamia student Waqas Khalid said, “It is not just about the Indian Muslims, it is also about the Sri Lankan Tamils, Tibetan Buddhists from China, so why are these minorities, including Muslim minorities, not included in the CAA?”
BJP spokesperson Niti Jain countered, “This is not about Hindus and Muslims, this is about Indians and outsiders. We need to take a call as Indians where we stand. Minorities have been used and abused as vote banks for a long time.
India TV: Anchor Saurav Sharma asked who has “brainwashed” Delhi’s mind, referring to the protests in the national capital.
“Who is responsible for what is happening in Assam, in Kashmir, in universities like Jamia and JNU? 22 other universities in the country have also joined the protests,” said Congress’ Rashid Alvi.
BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain accused the Congress of spreading rumours and claimed that the Citizenship Act is “the one that will grant citizenship, and not snatch it from the people”.
NDTV India: Anchor Ravish Kumar discussed the difference between state-sponsored violence and student violence.
“There is a difference in both..the investigation of those injured would also be done by the same police, which was involved in beating them up,” he said.
He also mentioned about the support extended to Jamia and AMU students by 19 American universities and other Indian universities.
As PM Modi tweeted requesting students to maintain the dignity of the institutions they are studying in, Kumar pointed out the irony. “PM should also appeal his MLAs to do the same as BJP MP R.K. Sinha called Jamia a hub of terrorism,” he added.