Thousands of Indians poured down to streets for the seventh consecutive day on Thursday also, as the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act escalated spreading across the country.
Hundreds of protestors were detained across the country as authorities clamped down on the protests. Two people were killed in Mangaluru in Karnataka during clashes between the police and protestors, reports The Telegraph, The Hindu, NDTV and Scroll.in.
People staged violent demonstrations on the streets of Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Patna, Guwahati and other big cities of the country.
The authorities resorted to imposing Section 144 in different cities to contain protests that were being participated by people from all walks of life.
Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, social activist Harsh Mander, scholar Yogendra Yadav, and Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja were among those detained in Delhi, where 19 metro stations were closed.
Prohibitory orders banning large gatherings are in place in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka – both of which have the Bharatiya Janata Party in power. Internet services were suspended in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district, where a state-run bus was set ablaze.
In Bengaluru, historian Ramachandra Guha was among over 200 people detained by the police.
There were reports of demonstrations in other parts of the country as well. Police baton-charged protestors in Ahmedabad, while hundreds of people gathered at Kolkata’s Ramlila Maidan.
Several demonstrators, most of them university students, were detained in Hyderabad on their way to Exhibition Grounds, where a demonstration was planned. Rail and road services were disrupted in Bihar during a bandh called by Left parties.
Probationary order in Delhi
Section 144 has been clamped in parts of the national capital in view of two major rallies in the city against the CAA and the recent police crackdown against Jamia Millia Islamia University students.
A large number of students, including those from JNU, DU, and Jamia, as well as individuals form different walks of life, took out a march near the Red Fort, in defiance of the restrictions in the area.
Left parties were holding a march at Mandi House in Central Delhi.
Barricades have been erected in large part of south, east and north Delhi to check movement of protesters, triggering massive traffic snarls in large parts of the city.
As the protesters were not allowed to proceed to venue of the protests, small demonstrations were held in several areas including Rajghat, Shantivan, Daryaganj and the area near Inter State Bus Terminal in Kashmiri Gate.
A large number of protesters gathered at the Jantar Mantar after the Police refused permission to conduct protests at Red Fort and Mandi House.
Sansad Marg and Jai Singh Marg have been closed. Mobile telecom services cut off in parts of Delhi
As protests took off in Delhi, mobile Internet services were snapped in several areas across the city. Delhiites took to Twitter to reach out to telecom service providers.
Responding to customers on Twitter, service providers Airtel and Vodafone confirmed that they have received instructions from the government to suspend voice and data connection in certain parts of Delhi.
When The Hindu reached out to Vodafone, Airtel, Idea and Jio on whether the mobile Internet services have been suspended, Vodafone alone responded via Twitter.
"Hi! We would like to inform you that there is a planned outage scheduled as per government directive. This will rectified as soon we receive the next directive from the authority. We appreciate your patience and cooperation for the same," responded a Vodafone customer care executive.
Mamata dares Centre to bring referendum on CAA Mamata Banerjee condemned the heckling of historian Ramachandra Guha.
She dared the Centre to bring a referendum on Citizenship (Amendment) Act. “Let an impartial organisation hold this referendum.”
“BJP is buying skull caps for its cadres who are wearing them while vandalising properties to malign a particular community,” she said. “BJP was founded in 1980 and is asking for our citizenship documents of 1970. We are not living in this country at mercy of others.”
Section 144 imposed in Uttar Pradesh, parts of Karnataka In Bengaluru, historian Ramachandra Guha and many others were detained on Thursday for staging a demonstration against the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC at the Town Hall, in defiance of the prohibitory orders imposed in the city.
He was taken away by police personnel and led to a vehicle parked nearby. Police said the protesters violated prohibitory orders clamped in the city against any protest or demonstration. Reacting to his detention, Guha said it was ‘absolutely undemocratic’ that police were not allowing even a peaceful protest, which is the democratic right of the citizens.
The Communist Party of India too staged demonstrations in the city against the CAA and NRC.
India’s IT capital and its largest state were brought under prohibitory orders on Wednesday night ahead of nationwide protests called against the amended citizenship law on Thursday.
In Bangalore, Section 144 of the CrPC, which prevents assembly of four or more people, was imposed on Wednesday night. At least two other cities in Karnataka have been brought under the restrictions.
In Uttar Pradesh, the same section has been imposed in the entire state. Police have advised parents not to let their children take part in protests.
Both Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh are ruled by the BJP. The restrictions came less than 24 hours after Union home minister Amit Shah had claimed that the protests had been limited to just four universities in the country and “in a democracy, people have the right to protest”.
Before the orders were imposed, the Bangalore police chief had said sit-ins would be allowed but not marches.
The curbs in Bangalore came into force at 9pm on Wednesday and would continue to be in place till midnight on Saturday. Mangalore and Gulbarga in north Karnataka, which have a considerable Muslim population, are also under the ambit of the prohibitory spell.
Police said there would be no restrictions on schools, colleges, malls and public transport.
Karnataka home minister Basavaraj Bommai said the move was a “precautionary measure”. “It is just a precautionary measure as we don’t want to risk any violence,” he said.
Police fire tear gas to disperse protesters in Lucknow Tear gas was fired at protesters near Parivartan Chowk, the heart of the protest. Several persons have been detained.
Abhishek Prakash, DM Lucknow told The Hindu: "Section 144 was violated by the violent crowd. There was stone-pelting at some places. Mild force was used to being crowd under control. We are arresting those who pelted stones and violated the law. Things will be soon brought under normalcy."
Brickbating also took place outside the Chota Imambada. Several vehicles were torched outside Satkhanda police outpost.
Old Lucknow City tense
Tense atmosphere prevails in old city area of Lucknow as RAF and police clashed with protestors.
Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters. They also baton-charged the protesters, who had confronted the police.
Bricks and stones were allegedly thrown at the police, when the entered the locality to disperse the crowd.
A car set was set on fire in Madheyganj and the police outpost in the area was vandalised.
Internet services suspended in UP’s Sambhal Internet services were suspended in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal after a public bus was set ablaze and another damaged.
Some of the protesters also pelted stones at a police station, District Magistrate Avinash K Singh said.
“The internet services have been suspended as a precautionary measure to prevent rumour-mongering,” the DM added.
One state roadways bus was set on fire in Chaudhary Sarai area of the district on Thursday afternoon while another was damaged, Superintendent of Police Yamuna Prasad said. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot.
Over 40 protesters detained in Ahmedabad
Police baton-charged some people who gathered in Sardar Baug area of Ahmedabad. More than 40 persons have been detained. and are being taken to Police Commissioner Office.
The protest was organised by Left parties, including the CPI and CPI(M), and organisations associated with them.
Anti-CAA stir continues in Kerala Hundreds of activists of Democratic Youth Federation of India took out a protest march to Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor on Thursday, after senior Left leaders were detained during an anti-Citizenship Act protest in Delhi.
Police had to use water canon many times to disperse them but the activists squatted on the road and continued the protest.
Governor Arif Muhammed Khan was away for a function when the protest was held, police said.
Kerala will fight for protecting the constitution, says Pinarayi Vijayan Kerala will fight for protecting the Constitution, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asserted on Thursday as he condemned the police action in detaining left leaders in Delhi and historian Ramachandra Guha in Bengaluru during anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests.
Vijayan also alleged that the NDA government was displaying an authoritarian tendency that was not witnessed even during the Emergency period (1975-77).
“We strongly condemn the act of detaining CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, politburo members Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat, CPI general secretary D. Raja in Delhi and historian Ramachandra Guha in Bengaluru,” Vijayan said.
Protest begins in Chennai
Despite police permission being denied for a demonstration against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Chennai, students and residents of the city gathered at Valluvar Kottam on Thursday afternoon to register their protest. Protests and demonstrations also continued in other parts of the State on Thursday, the fourth consecutive day of agitations against CAA.
In Tiruchi, 36 members of the Students Federation of India (SFI) were detained outside the Tiruchi Railway Junction during a protest march.
Ramachandra Guha detained in Bengaluru As many as 25 people, including historian and author Ramachandra Guha, were detained by the police when they attempted to stage a peaceful protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act at Town Hall in Bengaluru around 11am on Thursday.
He was bundled into a van when he tried to defend his right to take out a peaceful rally. The police also rounded up protesters from surrounding streets and roads as they were making their way to the spot. A similar scene played out at Mysore Circle when people started gathering there.
At Town Hall, the police rounded up protesters in buses, while women were being taken to the police station in auto-rickshaws. “This is not done. We are here to protest peacefully,” said one agitator.
WhatsApp messages have also been doing the rounds urging citizens to lend their support and gather at Town Hall. “We will be peaceful… Please turn up,” read one such message.
Karnataka: Yediyurappa calls for peace, allays fears of Muslims Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday called for peace and tried to allay fears among the Muslim community regarding the law.
The Chief Minister on Wednesday had declared that his government will “hundred per cent” implement the Citizenship Amendment Act in Karnataka.
“I appeal to the minority Muslim brothers, this law will in no way affect you, protecting your interest is our responsibility. Kindly cooperate, maintain peace and order,” Mr. Yediyurappa said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said “we have not given permission for any agitation in favour or against the law, and section 144 (prohibitory orders) were in place.
“Things are normal for now, there is no problem, no one should organise any programmes in this regard and every one should maintain peace...police are monitoring things,” he added.
Vatal Nagaraj detained at his residence Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha (KCVP) leader Vatal Nagaraj was detained at his residence in Dollars Colony minutes before he planned to take out a protest.
As many as 40 platoons of reserve police force have been deployed along with the city police at sensitive points across the city to maintain law and order after Section 144 was imposed across the state last evening.
“Police personnel have been instructed not to use force, keeping in mind what happened in Delhi,” said a senior police official referring to the violence of the police response to student protests at Jamia Islamia Millia, and the ensuing nationwide unrest.