Over the last week, protests have intensified across India and beyond, against the proposed National Register of Citizens, following the passing of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill. As has violent pushback from the police.
While some artists have come out vociferously against the Act, the Register and police brutality, others have paid lip service, without really saying anything. (Hrithik Roshan for instance, tweeted this: As a parent and a citizen of India, I am deeply saddened by the unrest across various educational institutions of our country. I hope and pray for peace to return as soon as possible. Great teachers learn from their students. I salute the world’s youngest democracy.)
Fans meanwhile were ‘petitioning’ Hasan Minhaj, who previously spoke about the Indian elections in March this year, to speak about this in his show, Patriot Act, streaming on Netflix, and bring the issue international attention.
The trailer of this Sunday’s episode of Minhaj’s Patriot Act dropped yesterday. It’s about NRC CAA.
#CAA + #NRC + more this Sunday on @patriotact pic.twitter.com/AIoAub8Fwu
— Hasan Minhaj (@hasanminhaj) December 20, 2019
As an American whose parents hail from UP’s Aligarh (where violence against students last week was unprecedently brutal), Hasan’s voice is potent and pertinent. Which explains the anxiety of both, those leaning towards the right in India and those of NRI Hindus, about his show.
This show too is sure to spark off more pushback from NRIs. Just ten days ago Hasan posted a video where someone heckles him and calls him anti-Indian, in public.
Indian political discourse in 2019. pic.twitter.com/RdQkP7WwlT
— Hasan Minhaj (@hasanminhaj) December 9, 2019
