Bengaluru: Town Hall reverberates with anti-CAA slogans

From a protest with reverberating slogans during the day to a candlelight vigil in the evening, the Town Hall saw hundreds of people expressing their opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Protesters gathered under the banner ‘Hum Bharat Ke Log’, which organised stirs at various locations in the city on Saturday.

Speaking at Town Hall, former IAS officer Sasikanth Senthil said the CAA was unconstitutional and had to be withdrawn. “It is against the basic principles of our Constitution and hence, cannot survive in a country like ours,” he said.

He said the intentions of the Union government were to pit the majority against the minority for vote bank. “Their only intention is to get power. The economy is going to the dogs and this is just a way to divert (attention) from serious issues,” Senthil said.

Women and children were present in good numbers. Rumaan, a Bengaluru-based architect was among them.

“We are not here for the rights of a few Muslims alone. It is for the entire country. We were told that they will identify protesters by their clothes. Today, we have people here wearing all sorts of clothes. We have people from so many religions. Some are even atheists,” she said.

Though she was not against the CAA, Rumaan said it was not inclusive.

“This will have no impact on the lives of the rich and middle class. How difficult is it to make up documents? It is the poor who will suffer,” she said.

Simultaneous stir

BEML employees also jostled for space with the anti-CAA protestors at Town Hall as they held a demonstration against privatisation.

The police said the employees obtained permission to protest only up to 4 pm, though they extended it.

They were denied permission to march from Town Hall to Freedom Park.

The police later set up barricades between the protesters and allowed them simultaneously.

The anti-CAA and NRC protesters hummed ‘Sare Jahan Se Accha’.