Citizenship Act protests News

On December 21, a Delhi court sent 11 people to 14 days judicial custody in connection with the protests against the CAA and the NRCin Seemapuri area of north east Delhi.

Shah in his half-hour address strongly defended the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Protests against the Act were witnessed in the state since the start of December and it had turned violent in different parts of the city last week. Several vehicles were torched in Rampur by rioters and clashes with police rocked Gorakhpur, Bulandshahr, Sambhal, Bijnor, Varanasi, Kanpur, Agra, Meerut, Firozabad and other parts of the state.

In view of the current law and order situation, the internet services have been suspended in 14 places--Bulandshahr, Agra, Sambhal, Bijnor, Saharanpur, Ghaziabad, Muzaffarnagar, Firozabad, Mathura, Shamli, Aligarh, Kanpur, Sitapur and Meerut. 

The maximum number of protesters who have received the notice are in Moradabad (200), followed by Lucknow (110), Gorakhpur (34), and Firozabad (29). Strict action will be taken against those who damaged the public property during the CAA protests in the state from December 10-24.

People from PFI organization from Kanyakumari and Kerala were sent to different parts of the country while people from Islamic Youth Federation, Maharashtra are also included.

The police authorities have arrested Waseem Ahmad, Nadim and Ashfaq on suspicion of having a prominent role in launching the violent protests held in Lucknow on December 9.

In her letter to the students, vice chancellor Najma Akhtar assured the students that the university is looking into their demands.

At least 3,000 people across Uttar Pradesh, including 350 in Lucknow, have been arrested since Thursday night in connection with the protests against the recently amended citizenship law, police officials said on Friday. Security has also been beefed up across the state, as police have registered 19 FIRs against unknown people, of which 17 were 'named'.

Almost all the major cities - Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow, Patna, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai and Hyderabad - saw protesters taking to the streets despite substantial police presence and the imposition of prohibitory orders at several places. 

Prasad added that the Act applies to the aggrieved Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis living in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who have been tortured due to their faith in religion. He further added that those who came to India in large numbers will be provided with citizenship under the Act asking 'why is there such hue and cry over it'.

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice (CJI) SA Bobde and Justices BR Gavai and Surya Kant heard the pleas and ordered that the next hearing will be on January 22, 2020. Pleading on behalf of the government Attorney General Venugopal said, "There are four judgments of the SC that the Act cannot be stayed." 

"Entry & exit gates at all stations have been opened. Normal services have resumed in all stations," the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announed taking to micro-blogging site Twitter. 

The court directed that the concerned High Courts will be at liberty to appoint former judges of either Supreme Court or High Court for the purpose of the inquiry. It also added that having regard to the nature of the matter and the vast disputed area, we find it would not be feasible to appoint a single committee to go into the matter in different states.

Earlier on Monday, Assam Finance Minister and North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) chairman Himanta Biswa Sarma had said in a tweet that mobile internet in Assam will remain suspended in the wake of major protests across the state over the amended Citizenship law.

Ten people, having criminal backgrounds, were on Tuesday arrested in connection with the violent protests between the Delhi Police and students of Jamia Millia Islamia University. Among those arrested, none are students, the police said.

The apex court agreed to hear the petition to look into the high-handed police action against students and send retired judges to the two universities to probe what went down.

As many as 15 trains have been cancelled and 10 trains have been partially cancelled as violent protests continued to sizzle in West Bengal targeting different railway stations that fall in the Howrah-Kharagpur railway section of South Eastern Railway. Agitators have torched buses, set afire railway property and blockaded roads and rail disrupting train and vehicular movement.

Trains were stopped at Jangipur, Mahipal and other railway stations nearby. Protestors also torched down a ticket counter at Sakrail railway station. Railway equipment kept at Eastern Railway's Beldanga station was burnt by protestors and a fire brigade engine was set afire.

The train services have primarily been hit across Murshidabad. Trains were stopped at Jangipur, Mahipal and other railway stations nearby. Trains services between Lalgola and Palasi has been cancelled. Protestors have torched down a ticket counter at Sakrail railway station.