The students are now observing a 3-day vigil to protect a flame - symbolising the spirit of constitution.
After protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act by leaving slippers on the pavement, the students and faculty members of the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) have found another unique way to express their dissent against a controversial law that they believe is undermining the country's secular and democratic credentials.
They are now observing a three-day vigil to protect a flame - symbolising the spirit of the constitution - for 72 hours, with students and faculty members coming in shifts to tend to it. The protest, being held outside the institute campus, is expected to stretch into the New Year.
"The flame symbolises our resolve to keep the country's democracy and spirit of the constitution alive. We want to safeguard the principles on which the country was founded," a student protester told NDTV.
A faculty member clarified that the protest was being held by like-minded students and faculty members in a personal capacity, and has nothing to do with the institute itself. "This flame symbolises our country's democracy. In my view, if things continue in this manner, the communal harmony of our community and the secular tenets of our country will be disturbed. We don't want this. We want to live as one nation where everybody can live happily, in peace, and share our joys and sorrows with each other," he said.
Amid prohibitory orders clamped on Bengaluru, IIM-B students had laid hundreds of shoes near the institute gate to mark their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act on December 21. So, why did they take up another protest? "It's because we believe that the movement should continue until the government withdraws this discriminatory law," a student answered.
The protesters at the spot said they do not feel reassured by assurances given by the central government. "The government wants to give the impression that the Citizenship Amendment Act is inclusive of persecuted minorities, but it is not. It's laying the foundation for an extremely exclusionary society, especially with the NPR and NRC to follow. Under no circumstance can we accept it," one of them said. "There has been mixed information from various ministers, and it's difficult to believe what they say."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet members claim that the sole aim of the Citizenship Amendment Act is to provide refuge to persecuted minorities, and have accused opposition parties of inciting students and members of the minority community through "false information". Despite that, protesters at IIM-Bangalore say that their movement will continue.
The Citizenship Amendment Act makes religion the test of citizenship in India for the first time. The government says it will help minorities from three Muslim-dominated countries to get citizenship if they fled to India before 2015 because of religious persecution. Critics say it is designed to discriminate against Muslims and violates the secular principles of the constitution.