Islamabad (AsiaNews/Agencies) – India’s new citizenship law has claimed its first two victims. Two Hindu brothers from Lahore, Pakistani, wanted to move for a better life to India where their cousin already lives, encouraged by India’s new citizenship law, which seemingly offers protection to persecuted minorities fleeing some Muslim-majority countries.
They never made it because they were stopped by some Muslim radicals and killed, an incident that will further fuel tensions between religious groups in the two neighbouring countries, which have been vying for cultural, political and denominational dominance for decades.
The two brothers killed are Gyanchand and Premchand, cousins of Lakshman, a Pakistani Hindu refugee who lives in the Adarsh Nagar refugee camp on the northern outskirts of Delhi.
Despite the lack of electricity, water and sanitation, the camp is home to some 600 Pakistanis, 85 families in all, including 150 children.
The news of the murder of the two brothers went viral online. A video showing their bloodied bodies, surrounded by mournful relatives and friends, has been shared thousands of times.
On Twitter, Hindu Genocide writes that “Their families are devastated. This is the plight of Hindus. Their lives are in danger even while immigrating to India.”
According to media reports, the brothers were stopped by a group of "jihadis". Later, a row broke out, during which the Hindus allegedly said something disparaging about Pakistan, provoking some Muslims, who dragged them into the woods and cut their throats.
According to some Pakistan Hindus, the brothers wanted to go to India where they could be treated like "any other citizen".
Recently, India adopted a new citizenship law that could trigger mass migration by members of minorities living in neighbouring countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh).
However, the law allows naturalisation only for members of "persecuted minorities", namely Sikhs, Parsees, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and Jains who can prove that they lived in India on or before 31 December 2014.
