Faced with an uprising against a new law, perceived to be unjust, authorities in India are clamping down protests with a heavy hand. Twitter users, however, are giving evasive tactics a shot.
Authorities are faced with protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), perceived to be unjust towards a section of people. The Act was passed by parliament a few days ago.
Ever since the number of agitational marches has only burgeoned across India.
The police are now denying permission for rebellious events, imposing internet lockdowns, and disallowing assembly of groups of people. The state of Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, for instance, have imposed Section 144 of India’s criminal procedure code, which restricts the unlawful assembly of more than four people in an area. It also empowers the authorities to block internet access.
However, many on Twitter are sharing solutions to beat the curfew without breaking the law.
Practising lawyers are also educating the citizens about their rights if they get arrested.
However, there is no guarantee that even after following these instructions protestors will not be arrested.
The new Act aims to fast-track citizenship for persecuted Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians who arrived in India before Dec. 31, 2014, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, or Afghanistan.
The protests are against the exclusion of Muslims from this list.