More than 100 retired bureaucrats wrote an open letter on Thursday explaining how the country does not need the amended Citizenship law (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). "We, the Constitutional Conduct Group, comprising former civil servants from the All-India and Central Services committed to the Constitution of India, consider it our duty to inform you that the three issues are linked, acquaint you with the facts regarding the NPR, NRIC and the CAA and emphasise why these measures need to be resolutely opposed," the letter said. The letter explained that the provisions of CAA, coupled with aggressive statements over the past few years from the "highest levels of this government, rightly cause deep unease in India’s Muslim community". "The provisions of the CAA, coupled with rather aggressive statements over the past few years from the highest levels of this government, rightly cause deep unease in India’s Muslim community, which has already faced discrimination and attacks on issues ranging from allegations of love jihad to cattle smuggling and beef consumption. That the Muslim community has had to face the brunt of police action in recent days only in those states where the local police is controlled by the party in power at the centre only adds credence to the widespread feeling that the NPR-NRIC exercise could be used for selective targeting of specific communities and individuals," the letter said. While explaining the constitutional validity of the CAA provisions, the letter stated that a statute that excludes Muslim religion from its purview is bound to give rise to apprehensions in a large segment of India’s population. "We have our grave reservations about the constitutional validity of the CAA provisions, which we also consider to be morally indefensible. We would like to emphasise that a statute that consciously excludes the Muslim religion from its purview is bound to give rise to apprehensions in what is a very large segment of India’s population. A formulation that focused on those suffering persecution (religious, political, social) in any country in the world would not only have calmed local apprehensions but would also have been appreciated by the international community," it said.
