Indian-Americans hold protest rally against CAA

This is the third such protest rally at the Indian Embassy in the last nine days

Washington A group of Indian-Americans gathered around the Mahatma Gandhi statue in front of the Indian Embassy here and held a peaceful protest against the recently amended Citizenship Act.

According to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 following religious persecution there will get Indian citizenship.

Displaying posters like 'United Against Hate' and 'Stop Dividing India,' the protestors, about 150 Indian-Americans from the Greater Washington Area, on Saturday alleged that India's secularism is under threat. They raised slogans against the BJP-led government and sang the national anthem.

The participants circled Gandhi's statue many times singing patriotic songs and pledged to carry on the struggle against making religion a factor in the grant of citizenship.