London, May 7 (RHC)-- The British government has been criticized for a recent “discriminatory” bill that would make people show proof of their nationality or face prosecution.

The government is proposing the bill to provide police and immigration officers across the UK with an authority to order arrested people to prove their nationality and the foreign nationals to show their nationality documents like passports. If they fail to prove their nationality within 72 hours, they would face a criminal of offense and prosecution.

The Conservative government claims the move will lead to easier removal of foreign offenders while a number of experts warn that this would enable the police to target people because of their appearance, color and accent.

Sara Ogilvie, from civil rights organization Liberty, said the basis of the policy is discrimination as appearance and accent are the only grounds on which police could decide who is not a British citizen.

The policy would disproportionately challenge people with minority backgrounds, said Adrian Berry, head of the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association. Berry further stressed that the move would also affect British citizens and force them as well as others to “carry identity documents or passports when at liberty in the UK.”