Declare me non-citizen, happy to fill detention Centre: Sasikanth Senthil
Mangaluru: Defining an all-India NRC as ‘demonetisation of people,’ and ‘dehumanising,’ effort by the Union government and equating it to the Asiatic Registration Act in South Africa and Nuremberg Laws of Germany, former deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district Sasikanth Senthil, who resigned from civil service two months ago, declared a 'Satyagraha' by deciding not to submit the requisite documents.
Opposing the Union government's stand on various issues, Mr Senthil had resigned from his post in September, a few days after Mr Kannan Gopinanthan did the same.
In a letter to the Union Home Minister, Mr Senthil has strongly opposed CAB and nationwide NRC. “We know how it works and have been opposing it. I have made my stand clear and emailed this letter to Home Minister. It is nothing but demonetisation of people. We have to oppose it. Tomorrow anybody including me may be declared not a citizen," he told Deccan Chronicle.
He defined it as anti-adivasi, Dalit and poor. “To prove that you are citizen of the country there is a need for documents which the poor or tribal and Dalits may not have without which they may not be added in the list. There is always a fear of this. Let the government identify illegal immigrants and put them out, but not ask all the citizens to prove their citizenship. We all should unite and oppose this," he said.
Asked if such a letter would pose any problem to his resignation, which is yet to be approved by the Union government, Mr Senthil said that he was more worried about the impact of NRC on the people and had rushed the letter.
“After hitting deaf ears we have no option other than to start a Satyagraha/Civil disobedience against this Communal Bill (CAB) and NRC. I for once declare that I refuse to accept the process of enumeration in NRC by not submitting the requisite documents to prove my citizenship and willing to accept the action taken by the Indian state for my disobedience. If the state chooses to declare me as a non-citizen I would also be happy to fill up the many detention centres that you are building all over the country,” he declared in the letter.
“Tabling of the CAB in Parliament and the approval of it in the Lok Sabha marks the darkest day in the history of modern India. Your vehement defence of the bill on the floor of the House revealed a lot about the core ideology of hatred that drives your government. I feel completely ashamed that as a country that we have let down our Muslim and Adivasi bothers and sisters and have not succeeded in assuaging their fears about the secular ethos of the country,” he said.
“We have been asking you to understand the larger ramifications of this communal bill and NRC and have been trying in all peaceful methods to convince your government. The passing of this bill in the Lok Sabha has left a deep scar in the belief of already marginalised people and along with the NRC is surely an attempt to profile Muslims and Adivasis akin to the Asiatic Registration Act in South Africa and Nurenberg laws of Germany,” he narrated.
