Protest against the amendments to Citizenship Act continued on Tuesday, in the northeast as well as the rest of the country.
Kerala, which showed a rare unity between UDF and LDF, is gearing up for day-long strike. The hartal has been called by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and allied organisations under the aegis of the Joint Action Council. However, the mainstream parties haven't supported the strike.
The Supreme Court will hear pleas pertaining to police action in Jamia.
Here are the updates:
21 people injured in Seelampur violence
Twenty-one people, including 12 policemen and six civilians, were injured in violence that erupted during a protest against the amended Citizenship Act in Delhi’s Seelampur on Tuesday, police said.
According to a police officer, two FIRs have also been registered at Seelampur and Jafrabad police stations in connection with the violence.
Three personnel of Rapid Action Force (RAF) were injured, the officer said.
Angry protestors torched several motor bikes, pelted stones at police personnel and damaged buses and a police booth in Northeast Delhi’s Seelampur area. - PTI
Opinion: Citizenship Amendment Act - the fear factor
‘Indians have nothing to fear,’ has been the refrain of the proponents of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). On the corollary move to implement a National Register of Citizens (NRC), they keep changing their positions — sometimes they say NRC and CAA have no link at all; other times they say the CAA will protect non-Muslims excluded from the NRC exercise. At times they say it is an internal matter of India, but they also promise to send back the “infiltrators” to places where they allegedly came from. — Varghese K. George
Will take back Bangladeshi citizens staying in India illegally if evidence provided: Dhaka official
An advisor to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the country will take back any citizen of the neighbouring nation staying in India illegally, if evidence is provided.
The issue of amended Citizenship Act is an internal matter of India, Advisor to Ms. Hasina on international affairs, Gauhar Rizvi, said.
“We will take back any Bangladeshi citizen staying in India illegally. But India has to prove that,” Mr. Rizvi told reporters here.
He said Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Buddhists co- exist peacefully in Bangladesh. - PTI
India rejects Pakistan National Assembly’s resolution on amended citizenship law
India on Tuesday strongly rejected a resolution adopted by the Pakistan National Assembly on the amended citizenship law, calling it a poorly disguised effort to divert attention from Islamabad’s “appalling treatment” and “persecution” of its religious minorities .
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs Ministry said the resolution was a thinly-veiled attempt by Pakistan to further its false narrative on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
“It seeks to provide justification for Pakistan’s unrelenting support for cross-border terrorist activities in India. We are confident that such attempts will fail,” it said.
Pakistan’s Parliament on Monday unanimously passed a resolution terming India’s citizenship amendment law against bilateral agreements and asked New Delhi to revoke the “discriminatory” clauses in it. -PTI
Delhi court sends 10 arrested for CAA protests to judicial custody till Dec. 31
A Delhi court on Tuesday sent 10 persons, arrested in connection with the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) near Jamia Millia Islamia University here, to judicial custody till December 31.
Metropolitan Magistrate Kamran Khan earlier sent six of the 10 arrested people — Mohammad Hanif, Danish alias Jafar, Sameer Ahmed, Dilshad, Shareef Ahmed, Mohd Danish — to judicial custody after police sought their custodial interrogation for 14 days.
The court later sent four others — Yunus Khan, Jumman, Anal Hassan, Anwar Kala — to judicial custody.
Police had on Monday arrested them for their alleged involvement in the violence near Jamia Millia Islamia University here, it had said, adding that none of them were students. -PTI
Tension in some areas around AMU, 26 people released
Tension gripped some localities adjoining the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus on Tuesday, as crowds started assembling at crossings and raised slogans against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act .
But there was marked improvement from the situation prevailing after clashes between the AMU students and the police on Sunday. The 26 people arrested after the earlier clashes were released late on Monday night.
On Tuesday, shopkeepers in Jamalpur and Dodhpur downed shutters as tensions erupted briefly.
A police force was rushed to the spots and the situation eventually defused. “With the help of the local community leaders and announcements from mosques, we managed to persuade the protesters that their concerns would be conveyed to the government and that their interests would not be served by taking the law into their own hands,” SP Abhishek said.
Protests were also held at the highly-sensitive Upper Court area in the old city.
Earlier, 26 people, including eight students, arrested in connection with the violence at the varsity and the surrounding areas were released on personal bonds.
“Out of the 26 people arrested from the AMU campus on Sunday night, only eight are students of AMU. The rest are outsiders,” SSP Akash Kulhari told PTI.
Proctor of AMU Professor Afifullah Khan said, “In view of the tense situation on the AMU campus and the surrounding areas, we had approached the DM to release the arrested students as a special case and this was done by the administration.” -PTI
Sonia accuses Modi government of “shutting down” people’s voices
Congress president Sonia Gandhi accused the Modi government of “shutting down” people’s voices and bringing legislations which are not acceptable to them.
After leading a delegation of Opposition leaders to President Ram Nath Kovind to protest the police action against Jamia university students and also against amendments to the Citizenship Act, Ms. Gandhi told reporters that the situation was “very serious“.
Joined by leaders of various parties, she said they were very anguished at the manner in which police dealt with peaceful protesters exercising their democratic rights, and added that police personnel entered women’s hostels in Jamia Millia Islamia and “mercilessly” beat up students. - PTI
Seelampur metro station reopens
A scene during a protest demonstration against CAA at the Seelampur Area of New Delhi on Tuesday, December 17, 2019
All entry and exit gates at Seelampur metro station, which were closed in view of violence, were opened.
“All entry & exit gates of Seelampur are open,” the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) tweeted.
Entry and exit gates at seven metro stations in northeast Delhi were closed on Tuesday in view of the violent protest against the amended citizenship law in the Seelampur area. - PTI
Five students held for graffiti against Citizenship Act
Five students of the Maharaja Sayajirao University here were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly making objectionable graffiti, which included the word ‘Modi’, to protest the new Citizenship Act, police said.
The students, from the University’s Fine Arts faculty, made the ‘swastika’ sign with black spray colour in place of the letter ’o’ in the word ‘Modi’, a police official said.
Search was underway for two other students who were absconding, he said.
The students selected places like the police headquarters, Kala Ghoda Circle, the Fatehgunj pavilion wall and the wall of a hostel near Rosary School to make the graffiti in order to attract the attention of the public, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-2), Sandeep Chaudhary said.
The wrote “no CAB Modi” and made the ‘swastika’ sign in place of the letter ‘o’ in the word ‘Modi’, the police said.
“They used slogans with certain symbols in their graffiti to intentionally hurt religious sentiments of a particular community and affect public peace and cause riots against members of a community. They also damaged public property,” a release issued by the police said.
Those arrested were identified as Pulkit Gandhi, 20, Rajat Vyas, 19, Ruchir Nair, 21, Aryan Sharma, 24, and Ayajin Jonson, 23, Mr. Chaudhary said.
Two others, identified as Renil and Rishi Nair, were absconding, he said.
The FIR was registered against the accused on Monday for “using provocative and humiliating words” to hurt sentiments of the people from one community and cause violence, and also damaging public property, he said. -PTI
Blaming the opposition parties for the anti-CAA protests, home Minister Amit Shah said they are politicising the issue.
"Entire Opposition is misleading the people. This has provision to not snatch but to grant citizenship," Mr. Shah said on the sidelines of a function.
"You can protest all you want but migrants will get citizenship," he added.
Violence erupts in Delhi's Seelampur, nearby metro stations closed
In fresh violence, angry protesters demanding scrapping of the amended citizenship law clashed with police, pelted stones at them and damaged several buses in Northeast Delhi’s Seelampur area.
Police resorted to baton charges and fired tear gas shells on the protesters who were marching from Seelampur towards Jafrabad.
Entry and exit gates at five metro stations in northeast Delhi were closed on Tuesday in view of protest in the Seelampur area.
“Entry and exit gates of Seelampur and Gokulpuri are closed. Trains will not be halting at these stations,” Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) tweeted.
Out of 42 central universities,only two -AMU and Jamia witnessed protests, all others remained peaceful, says an MHRD official.
Jamia Milia Islamia University has sent a Executive Committee resolution demanding judicial enquiry, no formal request from JMI for an enquiry, the official added.
11 NFR trains including Manas Rhino passenger resume service
In a major relief for commuters in Assam and a few neighbouring states, eleven trains, including Manas Rhino passenger, of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) on Tuesday resumed services, a senior official said.
All passengers and InterCity services of NFR, which were cancelled on December 12 in view of the situation in Assam over the ongoing protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), had remained suspended till Monday.
“Eleven train services, including some Intercity services were on Tuesday resumed, as law and order situation has gradually improved in the state,” he said.
“The resumed trains include Manas Rhino passenger, which connects New Bongaigaon in Bongaigaon district to Guwahati, and will benefit especially the office-goers,” NFR’s Chief Public Relations Officer Subhanan Chanda told PTI.
Curb polic brutality or resign: Alumni tell Amit Shah
Joining the protests across campuses in India, more than 400 students and alumni from American institutions — including Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Stanford and Tufts — have expressed their solidarity with students of the Jamia Millia Islamia University and the Aligarh Muslim University who faced a police crackdown over the weekend.
The students and alumni called on Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday and urged him to take immediate steps to curb ‘police brutality or resign’, condemning the violence as a “gross violation of human rights under the Constitution of India and International Human Rights Law”, according to a statement.
26 arrested people released, situation improves in AMU
As many as 26 people, including eight students, arrested in connection with the violence at Aligarh Muslim University and surrounding areas have been released even as the situation in the University showed marked signs of improvement on Tuesday, officials said.
SSP, Akash Kulhari, told PTI, “Out of these 26 people arrested from the AMU campus on Sunday night, only 8 are students of AMU, while the rest are outsiders.”
“In view of the tense situation on the AMU campus and surrounding areas we had approached the DM to release the arrested students as a special case and this was done by the administration,” Proctor of AMU Prof Afifullah Khan said.
Those indulging in arson are miscreants, not students, says Adityanath
Amid protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in Lucknow, Mau and Aligarh districts among others, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday instructed the state police force to take “strict action against those who play with law.”
Also read | At least 60 injured in police crackdown at Aligarh Muslim University
“Those who indulged in arson are not students but ‘upadravi’ (miscreants or unruly elements),” a government spokesperson quoted Mr. Adityanath as saying. He, however, did not mention any particular incident.
The Chief Minister also instructed the police to “keep an eye on those spreading rumours” about the CAA.
Peaceful protest outside Jamia varsity
Protests, though much smaller in scale, continued at Jamia Millia Islamia against the Citizenship Amendment Act and proposed National Register of Citizens on Tuesday amid an uneasy calm.
Slogans of “Azaadi from atrocities”, “Awaaz do, Hum ek Hain” (Call us, we are one) and loud claps and cheers pulsated the cold air.
As a few protesters, including women, formed a circle outside the gate number 7, many formed human chains along yellow ropes.
They, however, made sure the movement of traffic was not affected.
March held at MANUU
Expressing solidarity with the students of Jamia Milia and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), theMaulana Azad National Urdu University Teachers’ Association (MANUUTA) on Tuesday took out a peaceful march on the varsity campus.
The MANUUTA also expressed its solidarity with the students of MANUU and other universities protesting against the CAA asserting that it stands against the pluralistic and secular values enshrined in the Constitution.
Australia asks citizens to exercise ‘high degree of caution’ while travelling to India
The Australian government on Tuesday asked its citizens to exercise “high degree of caution” while travelling to India, which has witnessed violent protests against the amended Citizenship Act.
Last week, the US, the UK, Singapore, Canada and Israel had warned their citizens against travelling to northeast India in view of the violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
No bullet fired by police during protests at Jamia, says MHA
No bullet was fired by police during violent protests against the amended Citizenship Act at Jamia Milia Islamia University on Sunday, Home Ministry officials said.
The officials also said that 10 persons with criminal background have been detained in connection with the protests and more anti-social elements are being tracked.
“No bullet was fired by the Delhi Police during protests at Jamia.All 10 persons detained have criminal background. More anti-social elements are being tracked,” the officials said, citing a Delhi Police report.
Kerala hartal: Isolated incidents reported in Malabar region
Isolated incidents involving supporters of the hartal against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) were reported from the Malabar region on December 17.
Incidents of stone-pelting at vehicles were reported in some parts of the region during the hartal called by various organisations, including the Social Democratic Party of India and the Welfare Party of India.
While educational institutions and offices were functioning normally in many parts of the region, shops and commercial establishments remained closed. The road blocks put up by hartal supporters in some parts of the region were removed by the police. The police also acted against supporters who forcibly tried to close down shops.
Curfew relaxed in Shillong from 6 am to 7 pm
Curfew was relaxed for 13 hours in Shillong on Tuesday even as the ban on mobile internet services will remain in force, officials said.
The curfew was relaxed from 6 am from areas under Lumdiengjri police station and Sadar police station limits, a statement from the East Khasi Hills district administration said.
Banks, main markets were open and vehicles were plying on the streets. Schools have announced their annual results following which winter vacations have begun in most of the educational institutions.
No report of violence was reported since Monday, the official said.
Hartal poised to disrupt life in Kerala
The general strike called by a cluster of organisations to protest the “anti-Muslim” provisions of the Citizen (Amendment) Act seemed poised to disrupt life in some measure in Kerala on December 17.
Initial reports of restiveness, minor street confrontations between demonstrators and police and attacks on public transport buses have trickled in from Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad, Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram.
10 arrested for Jamia protests, none are students
Ten persons have been arrested in connection with rioting cases registered by the Delhi police after clashes broke out between protesters and the force around the Jamia Millia Islamia University area on Sunday.
Delhi police spokesperson Anil Mittal confirmed the development.
KSRTC runs services even as protesters damage a dozen buses
Over a dozen buses of the KSRTC fleet had been damaged in stone-pelting
The State-owned Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is operating services on Tuesday as per schedule despite incidents of stone-pelting by supporters of the dawn-to-dusk hartal called to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
Over a dozen buses of the KSRTC fleet had been damaged in stone-pelting since the early hours of the day. The Munnar-bound super deluxe bus was attacked at Aluva in Ernakulam district around 4 a.m. although the hartal called by the Social Democratic Party of India and other organisations commenced only at 6 am. No one was injured in the incident.
SC to hear pleas today
The Supreme Court, which agreed to hear on Tuesday pleas alleging police atrocities on students holding protests against the Act at Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia, said it would not hear this issue in an atmosphere of violence. “The only thing we want is that the violence must stop,” said a Bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde.
Speaking at a joint Opposition press conference, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury demanded an inquiry by a Supreme Court judge into the Jamia incident. “Whoever gave the permission for the police to enter the Jamia campus should be brought to book and punished,” he said.
He said it was not a Hindu-Muslim issue and could not be linked to religion, and asked the people not to fall prey to rumours as the Act was an affront to the Constitution.
(With inputs from Agencies)
