Economic harm feared as protests erupt in India

India's widespread, massive rallies, mostly against a controversial new citizenship law, will not only divide the nation but also further damage an already weakened economy if they drag on, experts warn.

Protests and clashes have caused casualties since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared the law in both Houses of Parliament on Dec 11. While the government stands firm, many of India's Muslims and other critics argue that the new law violates the very essence of equality enshrined in Constitution.

The law, which seeks to grant fast-track citizenship to non-Muslim refugees who entered India because of religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, is highly contentious because for the first time religious identity is being linked to citizenship.

Though some people rally to support the government over the weekend, most protests spread against the citizenship act. The police are accused of causing deaths, but the police have pointed at shots fired by protesters. In Firozabad city, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, police constable Vijendra Kumar had a narrow escape on Saturday after a bullet fired during a protest pierced through his bulletproof vest and got stuck in his wallet inside his jacket.

Inside the wallet, "there were four ATM cards and some pictures of Shiv Ji (Hindu god) and Sai Baba (Indian saint)," Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. "It feels like this is my second life."

All are not as lucky. In this state alone, the Hindustan Times newspaper quoted Praveen Kumar, inspector general of police, as confirming that 15 people have died.

Scores were injured, trains and buses torched, and properties destroyed as tens of thousands of people demonstrate across India. Affected cities include Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Patna and Chandigarh. Barricades were put up at several points, many subway stations sealed and shops shut.

In response, the government has shut down mobile and broadband internet, and banned rallies, including in the southern metropolis of Bengaluru, evoking a law that prohibits no more than four people from assembling if the police fear an outbreak of law and order.

A leading industry leader, who declined to be named for 'fear of reprisal', said that India cannot afford the upheavals at a time when it is struggling with an underperforming economy and high unemployment. He said the economy, which registered double-digit growth a few years ago, is struggling to grow even 5 percent this year.

Economist Abhirup Sarkar, who teaches at Kolkata-based Indian Statistical Institute, said that there will be problems if India is besieged by a prolonged disturbance. "If that happens, investors will certainly rethink before putting money," he said.

He said, however, that capital flow "does not have an ethical character. As long as there is peace and the market is attractive, there will be investments. It doesn't really matter if a country is dictatorial in nature, or democratic".

On Dec 19, the Supreme Court said it will seek the government's responses to a clutch of petitions made against the constitutional validity of the act.

Prime Minister Modi told his supporters at a rally on Dec 17 that the opposition was "spreading lies and rumors", "instigating violence" and "used its full force to create an atmosphere of illusion and falsehood".

A senior government official, a Muslim, said the law not only challenges the secular tenets of the Indian Constitution and undermines the country's religious and linguistic pluralism, it is designed to carve a dangerous divide between communities who have been living together in peace for centuries.

"The fires of anger may be doused but I am not sure if the scars will ever be healed," said the official on condition of anonymity. "There is an element of fear, anger and helplessness among the Muslims all over the country－a feeling of being alienated and left out."

He said the BJP government is introducing a divisive law at a time when the country is reeling from a slowdown, a severe unemployment rate which is the highest in 45 years, and job cuts, as well as falling consumer demand.

Millions of Indians have been living in this country for several generations but do not have proper documentation for various reasons. The National Register of Citizens relies on extensive documentation to prove that their ancestors lived in India, which makes many Muslim citizens fear that they could be made stateless.

"Only the educated, wealthy and influential might have the resources to get things right if there arise any problems with regards to their NRC test. A slight clerical mistake in any document makes your existence questionable.

"We have seen how thousands of poor, illiterate and many others who got excluded from the NRC have been declared illegal residents," the official said.