ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the state response to the public protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Uttar Pradesh in December 2019–January 2020. Far from responding to concerns regarding a discriminatory law, the protests were met with strong arm tactics. The crackdown was particularly harsh in Uttar Pradesh evident in police brutality, mass arrests, and widespread suppression of democratic rights. The origins of the events can be traced to the Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) decisive victory in the 2017 assembly elections in the state which was based on Hindu–Muslim polarization. In addition to outlining the visible entrenchment of discrimination, the chapter highlights the ideology and politics of the Hindu right, which seized the opportunity to advance its narrow political agenda which contributes further to autocratization in Uttar Pradesh and India.
