Over a hundred students from various institutions across the city gathered at Freedom Park on Tuesday to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, and the brutality of the police against the students of Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi and Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh.
As many as 11 students were detained at Town Hall for a few hours by the police who said that they did not have the required permission to stage a protest. “Lawyers from Alternative Law Forum (ALF) accompanied us to the station. It was with their help and the cooperation of fellow protesters that the police let them go,” said an activist.
Several colleges did not permit students to hold protests within campuses, but did not stop them from gathering at venues. Chanting slogans against communalism, protesters at Freedom Park held placards with messages like ‘You wanted to Paint India Saffron, You painted it Red’, ‘When Injustice becomes Law, Resistance becomes Duty’ and ‘Speak against Fascism’.
Amulya Leona, a student of NMKRV College, said, “The foundation of India stands on the ideals of secularism. What justice is there in discriminating between religions? The Internet being shut down in parts of the country is a precursor to what will eventually happen across India,” she said.
A student from Assam spoke about the threat CAA posed to her identity. “It will turn me into a minority in my own State,” she said. Many students said they would stage another protest on December 19 at 11 a.m. at Freedom Park.
NLSIU condemns police brutality, CAA
The National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, has joined other institutes across the country, to condemn the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, and the police brutality on students in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. “The police entered campuses without authorisation, used tear-gas shells, violently lathi-charged and even fired live bullet rounds on students. These moves, apart from being a clear violation of universally accepted human rights, are also an assault on the rule of law, morality and the democratic ethos and tradition that is fundamental to dignified living,” said the Student Bar Association (SBA) in a statement issued on Tuesday.
This move, said SBA, “is intended to bring about a chilling effect on freedom of speech and to curb dissent”. Students have also appealed to the judiciary to take cognizance of these actions and the use of force by the State.
The release also noted that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, is against the foundational values that the Constitution of India is built upon, and called upon members of the legal fraternity, to reject the ‘morally bankrupt’ law.
Tension in Belagavi
Meanwhile in Belagavi, Shivajinagar and surrounding areas remained tense for a few hours on Tuesday after an incident of stone-pelting in the area. This happened after a rally against CAA. “We are looking at CCTV footage from nearby shops. This would be matched against pictures from the rally to ascertain whether the offenders had joined the rally,” Assistant Commissioner of Police Narayan Baramani told The Hindu. One person received a minor injury on his face after a stone hit him. A District Armed Reserve police van was stationed at the spot. Protests were held in other parts of the State too.
