CAA/NRC: Massive Protest in Delhi’s Jama Masjid Area

New Delhi: After a day-long massive peaceful protest in Delhi’s Jama Masjid, called by Bhim Army, there were reports of violence after the protesters were stopped from proceeding to India Gate late in the evening, resulting in sudden stone-pelting by some miscreants, a car being burnt and alleged lathi-charge and use of water cannons by the police. Over 15 Delhi Metro stations were closed in the evening.

However, blaming “outsiders” for the violence, Delhi Police PRO Mandeep Singh Randhawa was quoted by PTI as saying: "We used mild force and water cannon, didn't lathi-charge protesters or lob tear-gas shells. Many of our personnel have been injured. Some people have been detained." Several protesters and bystanders were also injured, according eyewitnesses.

Carrying tricolour and 'Save Constitution' banners, thousands of people rallied in the national capital on Friday to continue their stir against the amended citizenship law, even as security forces were put on high alert in various states after at least three deaths during Thursday's nationwide protests.

Additional security arrangements were made in view of the Friday prayers and prohibitory orders were imposed in sensitive areas.

But a massive protest broke out in the Jama Masjid area soon after the afternoon prayers, while Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad was detained after his outfit held a protest march despite denial of permission from police.

Bhim Army said police first tried to detain Azad at Jama Masjid itself but he managed to get away, before later being detained near Daryaganj. Before being detained, he was heard raising slogans against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and also reading out the preamble of Indian Constitution.

The police was seen using drones to keep a vigil, while Delhi Metro gates were closed at some stations, including in the Old Delhi areas.

The city saw protests at various other locations as well including outside the Jamia Millia Islamia, with some groups of protesters offering roses to the police personnel to underline peaceful nature of their agitation against CAA and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Police also carried out a flag march in the North-East district which had witnessed violence on Sunday during continuing protests against the amended law, which seeks to grant speedier citizenship only to non-Muslims facing religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Joint Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar and Deputy Commissioner of Police Ved Prakash Surya were among senior officers present during the flag march.

In neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, mobile internet and SMS services of all telecom operators remained suspended in Lucknow and various other places on orders from the government.

In Kerala, police has been directed to maintain high vigil in northern districts in the wake of the killing of two persons in Mangaluru in neighbouring Karnataka.

In a Thursday night alert, state DGP D Loknath Behera instructed the force to be on high alert especially in the districts of Wayanad, Kozhikode, Kasaragod and Kannur, an official statement said.

A series of protest marches by different outfits and blocking of trains and buses were reported from various parts of Kerala past midnight after the news emerged about the deaths.

Anti-CAA protesters also blocked Karnataka RTC buses in some parts of Kozhikode and raised slogans against the Mangaluru police action. The Kerala Road Transport Corporation has suspended bus services to Mangaluru.

A large number of Congress workers blocked roads and burnt tyres in Kozhikode, while a group of activists also burnt an effigy of Home Minister Amit Shah.

Karnataka police has restricted entry to Mangaluru for those coming from Kerala. At least 50 men and women who had arrived by a train from Kerala were taken into custody for trying to enter the city without identity cards.

Some mediapersons were detained for entering the Government Wenlock hospital where the post-mortem of those killed in the firing on Thursday was underway on Friday morning.

In Assam, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said he will talk to leaders of anti- citizenship law agitation and his government was committed to safeguard the rights and honour of the state's indigenous population.

In UP's Aligarh, a red alert was sounded and the city has been put under a heavy security cover in view of the first Friday prayers since the police crackdown earlier this week on students of Aligarh Muslim University protesting the new law.

Internet services remained suspended for the fifth consecutive day while banking services and businesses have been badly hit in the city, which has been witnessing continued demonstrations for the past few days.

The situation in West Bengal was largely peaceful with no fresh incident of violence, but vigil was stepped up by the police in several parts of the state to prevent any untoward incident during religious gatherings for Friday prayers. 

Kerala CM, DUJ Decry Curbs on Journalists

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written a letter to Karnataka chief minister B S Yediurappa expressing deep concern over at the run of events in Mangaluru and decrying police restrictions on mediapersons covering the violence in Mangaluru. Journalists from Kerala are also part of of the contingent whose movements have been restricted, the letter reads.

“I request your kind intervention for issuing directions to the police authorities so that mediapersons are freed at the earliest and are allowed to discharge their duties in a free manner without being intimidated,” Vijayan’s letter reads.

In the capital, the Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) also condemned the crackdown by Karnataka police on some journalists in Mangalore. 

The police reportedly detained 12 journalists, most of them reporters and camerapersons of Kerala-based TV channels, who were covering the police violence on people protesting against CAA/NRC.                                                                                                     

“The police confiscated cameras, tripods and mobile phones of the journalists and took them to an unidentified location. The journalists were reporting from the Mangalore hospital where an autopsy was being conducted on a protester who died of a bullet wound. This is a blatant attack on the freedom of the press,” DUJ said in a release.                            

The journalists were only released and permitted to cross the border into Kerala after the intervention of the Kerala government.  

Earlier in the day, DUJ  joined a solidarity rally called by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists’ Delhi unit.

(inputs from PTI)