Gujarat: Around hundred protest against CAA

Defying the authority which denied them permission to protest, nearly one hundred people including several prominent citizens on Sunday came out on the road once again to protest against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Ahmedabad.

The protesters were detained by police teams the moment they show up near Kanoria Arts Center opposite Gujarat University. Dozens of policemen, wielding batons, had already stationed on the spot. As the protesters started coming in small groups, the police team detained and hauled them into the buses and dropped them at the nearest Gujarat University police station.

The police didn't spare even those who came in ones and twos to beat section-144 of Indian Penal Code that prohibits assembly of more than four people at public places without prior police permission.

Assistant Commissioner of Police L B Zala, who was on the spot, told reporters, "We had denied permission for such gathering at this place on the ground of law and order situation but, they still came out to protest. Therefore, he had to detain them." When he was asked why people, who support CAA and NRC, get police permission but the same is denied to those who oppose it, Zala said, "I don't know anything about that but today no permission was granted and that's why they are being detained."

Among those detained include Ashim Roy, a trade union leader, Navdeep Mathur, professor at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Sneh Bhavsar, said to be one of the organisers of protest, activists Manjula Pradip, Mahadev Vidrohi, Nita Vidrohi, Mudita Vidrohi, Mujahid Nafis, Noorjahan Diwan, Hozefa Ujjaini among others.

Cracking down on protesters, the police snatched and tore the posters and placards they were carrying. Some of the women alleged mistreatment by the police. After an hour when all the protesters were hauled up at varsity police station, they started reading out excerpts of the Constitution and sang songs to lodge their protests against CAA and NRC. This time, the police were seen filming all the protesters at the police station.