Target: Droupadi Murmu, President of India
Goal: End abusive detentions and deportations targeting Muslim minorities.
“Jump into the water. If you look back, we’ll shoot you.” This chilling directive allegedly came from police officers in India who reportedly kidnapped a man from his home, bound and blindfolded him, forced him into a boat at gunpoint, and then forced him into the sea. The disturbing incident is representative of India’s controversial deportation drive.
In the wake of a terrorist attack, Indian officials have targeted Muslim laborers they believe to be from neighboring Bangladesh. Thousands of individuals have been detained and deported, seemingly due to their religious and ethnic backgrounds. Many of the detained are Indian citizens or workers who have documentation to reside in the country. In a recent raid that apprehended hundreds, only ten were found to be undocumented. More troubling still, the detentions have been marked by widespread human rights abuses, including beatings, demolition of family homes, and a lack of due process.
This latest targeting of minorities is part of a global trend that cannot and should not stand. Sign the petition below to speak out against prejudice in the name of protection.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear President Murmu,
While politicians cheer the immigration crackdown unfolding across India, hundreds if not thousands of citizens are being forced out of their home country, disproportionately impoverished residents are seeing their houses destroyed and their family members abused, and the Muslims who comprise 15 percent of India’s population are facing escalating persecution while they are used as scapegoats for every grievance. Both national and international law are being violated in multiple ways. And disturbing images of elderly individuals begging for their freedom and bound detainees being forcibly marched and tossed into the sea are spreading across the world.
End this outrage now and show that the caste system is truly a shameful relic of the past.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Мария Кашина
