You're Criminal if You Don't Obey Law: IPS Officer Tells Twitter User against CAA, Receives Brickbats

Bengaluru: An IPS officer from Karnataka has drawn criticism on Twitter after she said that an individual would be called criminal if the latter didn’t obey the law. She was responding to a Twitter user who had slammed her for supporting the Citizenship Amendment Act.

On Monday, D Roopa, who is currently posted as IGP, Railways, wrote on Twitter that if people do not follow the CAA which has passed by both Houses of Parliament, the person would be considered a criminal.

This came after Roopa put out her views on Microsoft’s statement on the citizenship issue. The tech giant had issued the statement after its CEO Satya Nadella said he would love to a Bangladeshi immigrant create a unicorn in India or become the next CEO of Infosys.

Roopa said most Indian immigrants in the US feel sympathy for immigrants and hence, find CAA discriminatory. “However, they fail to understand that their immigration was legal and were allowed to be there for being highly skilled. CAA doesn’t ban legal immigration of Bangladeshi,” she wrote and tagged Nadella in the tweet.

Soon after, the Twitter user who goes by the name @AlNamr wrote, “This IPS officer should be sacked for repeatedly making political statements in favour of fascists. If BJP loses power, after 4.5 years. Rotten people.”

Roopa then wrote, "Show some spine and put your name and pic. Act passed by Parliament is a law mow. You are a criminal if you don't obey the law. No end to idiocy like yours.”

Another Twitter user @jay ambadi responded to Roopa's tweet with his name and picture saying, “Hello @D_Roopa_IPS Here is my name and pic. And I intend to disobey this Act passed by the Parliament (the constitutionality of which is still to be decided by the Judiciary) in civil disobedience (if there is a way) and to protest it to the end. Now go ahead and hang me!”

Activist Saket Ghokale also criticised the IPS officer and said she was threatening the Twitter user.

“How dare you threaten & bully someone misusing your position? I’m against the CAA & I’ve even gone to the SC against it. My name & picture are public. I’m happy to DM u my details. Let’s see what you’ll do to me.”

Several Twitter users criticised her for loosely using the word criminal, especially for someone criticising the CAA.

Few others, however, tweeted in her support saying that there was no need of civil disobedience as there is nothing for the citizens to obey under the CAA.

Roopa said the amended Citizenship Act was not discriminatory and that even a Bangladeshi could get citizenship in India if he or she is a legal immigrant and has fulfilled the requirements for acquiring citizenship.