Countrywide protests against CAA continues

Delhi

Delhi has been under the grip of fresh Citizen Amendment Act protests since morning.

After agitators gathered at the Red Fort despite denial of permission by Delhi police for protest march, the administration closed down 19 metro stations, barricaded entry points on Delhi-Gurugram and Delhi-Noida borders, apart from traffic restrictions in several other parts of the city.

The police denied permission, citing law and order situation. Clashes had erupted between police and agitators and several buses were burnt last week during the agitation.

Section 144 CrPC has been imposed in the Red Fort area in Central Delhi to prevent agitators from gathering. However, a large number of agitators reached the spot and were detained by the police.

Telecom operators, including Vodafone, Airtel, Reliance Jio, on Thursday suspended services in certain parts of Delhi and NCR, following police orders, media reported.

Maharashtra

A large number of people are expected to gather in Mumbai's August Kranti Maidan in Central Mumbai to hold a protest march against the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens(NRC).

According to media reports, film stars like Farhan Akhtar and Swara Bhaskar, apart from NGOs, political parties and social activists will congregate for the protests.

In view of the protest march, police has made all security arrangements to prevent violent incidents.

Riots Control Police (RCP), Quick Response Teams (QRT), State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) apart from local police have been deployed to keep vigil, reports said. Additionally, police in plain clothes have been posted and close monitoring will be done through CCTV cameras and drones, the reports added.

Meanwhile, media reports also said that Chief MinIster Udhav Thackeray has been assured by some Muslim organisations over video conference that the protest march will be peaceful.

Karnataka

Historian Ramchandra Guha was detained by the police in Bangalore on Thursday as he joined protesters in Karnataka's capital city Bengaluru.

"I have been detained by police for holding a poster of Gandhi and speaking about the constitution to the press," Ramchandra Guha told NDTV.

"The police are working under directions from central government. We are protesting non-violently against a discriminatory act, in a disciplined way. Look here, everyone is protesting peacefully. Have you seen any violence?" he said.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC was clamped in Karnataka as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order as various political parties and organisation planned to stage dharna, demonstration and protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The Order clamped with immediate effect will be in force till Dec 21 midnight from 0600 hrs on Thursday, City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao announced at a press conference convened last night.

In Kalaburagi, all schools and education institutes have been shut down and Section 144 imposed for next three days in the wake of the 'bandh' against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) here on Thursday.        

Kalaburagi police commissioner M N Nagaraj said that the schools, colleges in the district declared holiday today in the district and section 144 CrPc  has been imposed to maintain law and order in the city and stern action will be taken against those who violate it.
       
Meanwhile, Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) (SUCI-C) and people forum group who call the Kalaburgi 'bandh' strongly condemned the restrictions and said that the type of government action would provocate people and this is anti-democracy. "The SUCI in a press note declared that it is go ahead for bandh and protest against the CAA passed in both the houses," it said .
     
A police source said that so far no untoward incident has taken place in the city and all shops and business establishment are functioning and bandh has not affected the city.

Telangana

The protests by political parties, students and activists against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) continued without a break in Hyderabad on Thursday

Scores of political leaders and students were arrested during  a rally from Exhibition grounds to the Public Garden against CAA and NRC and  they raised slogans against the Central government.

Police made  tight security arrangements in view of the rally.

Among those arrested included CPI National Secretary K Narayana,  party's Telangana Unit secretary Chada Venkat Reddy, Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) Chief M Kodandaram,  CPI (M) leaders N.Narasimha Reddy and Narsingh Rao and MLC Narsi Reddy. Atleast 50 students of Hyderabad Central University were also arrested.

The newly formed forum-Citizens against NRC and CAA-Telangana organised a rally at Necklace Road on behalf of students against the CAA and NRC in which students from Osmania University and Tata Institute of Social Sciences took part.

The forum demanded that the Centre should revoke CAA and roll back its decision to implement NRC.

The students of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) who have been organising silent protests since December 15 held a protest on Wednesday night near the University's main gate after taking the semester examination earlier in the day.

Tamil Nadu

Actor-turned-politician and Makkal Neethi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan today urged the Chennai City Police Commissioner not to stifle democratic voices against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest to be held here.

In reference to the massive protests called by various bodies, including Muslim outfits condemning the CAA, Kamal tweeted “My request is, to the Indian who is sitting on the Commissioner of Police Chennai's chair. Please do not stifle democratic voices to be raised at Valluvar Kottam today (Thursday).”

According to Welfare Party of India Secretary Mohd Ghouse, more than 300 people from various organisations, social activists, Sri Lankan refugees, Muslim organisations and others were expected to participate in the demonstration.

Manipur

Left parties and various individuals today protested against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) affected normal life in the state.

CPI, CPI, AIFB and RSP  imposed a 12-hour statewide general strike (6 am to 6 pm)  as part of the nationwide protest against CAA.

Most educational institutes, business establishments, banks were also closed.

Inter and intrastate passenger services were suspended. Most transporters also supported the strike.

In spite of warning by police not to resort to protest demonstartions on the CAA issue, anti-CAA activists continued to come out on their own and staged peaceful protests. Police, however, did not allow any sort of protests. Sit-in protests were also not allowed.

Security was beefed up and large numbers of security personnel were seen doing duty on the streets. There has beeb no violence so far.

Large numbers of women also joined the protests

Uttar Pradesh

Amid tight security arrangements and the imposition of section 144 of the CrPC in the entire state, the principle opposition Samajwadi Party onThursday held protest in Uttar Pradesh opposing the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA).

In Lucknow, the SP legislators held protest at the Vidhan Bhawan from 0930 hrs in the morning under the statue of Choudhury Charan Singh raising slogans opposing the CAA.

Some legislators also climbed on the gates of the Vidhan Bhawan to draw media attention.

Leader of the opposition and SP member Ram Govind Choudhury said that the government's move to bring CAA was against the Constitutional norms and to target a particular community.

Reports of protest were also received from different parts of the state with SP supporters blocking the roads and rail traffic.

In Lucknow, large number of security personnel have been deployed to prevent the protestors to assemble.

Meanwhile, UP DGP O P Singh has appealed to the people not to participate in any type of protest as it has been banned by the government. He further asked the parents not to allow their children to join any agitation.

Puducherry

Students of the Pondicherry Central University on Thursday formed a human chain to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)  and to condemn the police assault on agitating Delhi students in Jamia Millia Islamia University recently.

It may be noted that the University students are organizing a series of agitations against the CAA and as part of it, they formed the human chain near the Silver Jubilee Hall of the university.

More than 300 students participated in the human chain and shouted slogans against the BJP-led NDA  government at the Centre.