New Delhi, December 17: With protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) escalating in all parts of the nation, a Minister in the Narendra Modi government has pitched for a controversial step to curtail the violent unrest. Suresh Angadi, the Union Minister of State (MoS) in Railways, said that he has ordered the administration to "shoot down" anyone who attempts to damage the Railway property. Citizenship Amendment Act: Railways Running Special Trains from Guwahati to Help Stranded Passengers in Assam.

Angadi said that it his responsibility to not only ensure the safety of 13 lakh Railway employees, but to also prevent damage to the public property. "They cannot vandalise the property of government as it is made of taxpayers' money," the Minister said, adding that violent agitations must be immediately suppressed by the administration.

"I strictly warn concerned district administration and Railway authorities, if anybody destroys public property, including Railway, I direct as a Minister, shoot them at sight," Angadi said.

'Shoot Them at Sight': Watch MoS Railways Controversial Remark

The protests against citizenship law erupted first in the Northeast states last week, after the Parliament enacted the law to grant citizenship to non-Muslim refugees. The agitation subsequently spread to West Bengal and other parts of the nation -- with Delhi recently witnessed violent demonstrations against the law.

Muslim groups view the CAA, along with the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise, as a ploy to strip the Indian Muslims of their citizenship. "If a non-Muslim's name is excluded from the NRC, he would get citizenship through CAA. But if a Muslim is not included in the NRC, won't he go to the detention centre," asked Hyderabad lawmaker Asaduddin Owaisi.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 17, 2019 09:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).