'Students can protest as long as peace not disturbed'

Singh said police would maintain strict vigil not just in and around universities but also public places across the state throughout the day

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh here on Tuesday said students can agitate against the CAA and the NRC in the state as long as their protest stays peaceful.

Reacting to a protest call given by student unions for January 1 in universities and colleges across the state, the CM said nobody will be allowed to disturb peace at any cost.

"Holding protests is the democratic right of every citizen and people, including students, are within their right to stage a peaceful dharna, march etc. against draconian initiatives of the central government, as long as such protests are conducted peacefully," Singh said in a statement here.

He said as long as the protesters did not take law into their hands, police would not prevent them from carrying out their proposed agitation.

Police had been directed to come down heavily against any attempt by the protesters to vandalise public property or otherwise indulge in any violence, Singh said.

The Punjab CM also urged student leaders to keep a check on possible infiltration of "goonda" elements and ensure that the proposed protest was carried out peacefully.

Peaceful protests in some other states had ended up in violence due to such infiltrations, he stressed.

During a dharna organised by the Punjab Congress in Ludhiana on Monday, the chief minister had reiterated that the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act would not be allowed to be implemented in the state under any circumstances.

The CM had said that his government was opposed to the CAA and the National Register of Citizens in view of their "divisive and discriminatory" nature.