The illegal and unconstitutional act of the BJP government would have dictated the life and culture of the people had not the students come to the streets and raised their voice against the act. The task of performing the role of opposition was performed by the students. No doubt the police brutality on the students of Jamia Milia and AMU conjured the students community across the country to raise the banner of revolt, it is really a matter of shame that political leaders let down the students.

Nevertheless the only exception was the Trinmool Congress. Its leader, the chief minister of Bengal, herself led the protest rallies. Her opponents attributed this to her animosity towards Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. What was most unfortunate was other parties were scared to raise their voice. Interestingly all the opposition parties claim to face the BJP. The main task of these parties was simply confined to issuing occasional press statements. It is again the same case of registering their presence.

So far eight students have been shot dead by the police notwithstanding its claim of showing extreme patience. Of these five were killed in Assam, two in Karnataka and one in Uttar Pradesh. Neither Modi government nor the governments of these states have expressed their grief on the killing of these students.

In contrast Narendra Modi and UP chief minister Yogi have been threatening and coercing the students. It was shocking indeed to listen to Modi’s comments about the protesters : they are identified by their clothes. No prime minister, even of a banana republic would use this language. He obviously was segregating and pointing to the Muslims. It does behove of a prime minister. Yogi, a senior BJP leader openly threatened of revenge against the persons found indulged in violence. One wonders where these leaders are taking the country to.

Amit Shah trying to project himself as the Iron Man of modern India, has been wearing the posture of a tough guy. Whether it is parliament or a public interaction he always resorts to this tactics of coercion. Shah in fact had rudely ruled out a rethink on the amended citizenship law and the NRC. It was only for this reason that Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday reminded him that he was Union home minister and his job was not to set the nation afire but to douse the flames. She had said; “I feel ashamed (of Shah’s remarks)…. I would like to appeal to the Government of India, to the Union home minister. Manyobawreshu, sroddhabhajon (His Excellency, most revered), please remember a little that you are the Union home minister”.

The current protest might not have acquired this dimension if Amit Shah should have been maintained restrain in his utterances. At a time when the protest is taking place in most part of India he could have refrained from asserting that NRC hogahi hoga. He said Adhaar card nahi chalega. Then in this backdrop people will obviously like to know why Adhaar was done? He even ruled out PAN. If voter list, Aadhaar, PAN, would do; what then will do?

A union minister was heard saying shoot the miscreants found damaging public property. What is this? Does that happen in a democracy? It would not be an exaggeration to say that Amit Shah’s these statements simply aggravated the situation.

Nearly after forty years the country is witnessing this nature of upsurge of students protest. Students of almost all the universities across India have hit the streets. This is enough to pause and ponder; what made students to react. Dismissing their protest would simply jeopardise the national interest.

The students might not have resorted to such massive protest if the police had acted in a restrained manner. The actions and behaviour patter of police clearly portrayed the image of police being a communalised force. Their actions at AMU and Jamia Milia clearly endorsed this impression. Police brutally thrashed the students breaking their hands and legs. Police fired at innocent students but had no moral courage to accept their misdeeds. Little doubt under Modi govt, there's been communalisation of police.The present confrontation is not an attempt to improve law and order; it targets the minorities.

Police forces are 'adopting and mirroring' BJP's racist and prejudice beliefs. Anti-Muslim bias in the police force is producing discriminatory outcomes. A new study has found significant bias against Muslims within India's police force, with more than half falsely believing that Muslims are 'naturally prone towards committing crimes.

It is absolutely clearly and the RSS leadership must realise that the current protest against NRC will eventually bridge the communal differences between Hindu-Muslim. This will also blunt the Saffron machination to create a ‘Hindu’ society and nation and install a “normalised” oppression in which the Muslim is the ‘other’.

A study that has been regarded as the first of its kind in India has found "significant bias against Muslims," with half of the country's police expressing anti-Muslim feelings. They feel adherents of the Islamic faith are "naturally prone towards committing crimes". This is really most deplorable for the fate of the world's largest democracy. (IPA Service)