Protests against the the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Register of Citizens (NRC), and National Population Register (NPR) continued in the city on Saturday as well, with several well-known names lending their support, while working professionals took time out to register their protest.
Freedom fighter H.S. Doreswamy, who has been leading a protest by the Citizens’ Rights Action Committee, a group of individuals and organisations, was joined by historian Ramachandra Guha at Freedom Park on Saturday. “[Narendra] Modi and [Amit] Shah are trying to divert our attention so that they don’t have to speak about the plight of farmers, jobs, and the economy,” Mr. Doreswamy said.
Mr. Guha said it was important for political parties to come out. “Students are over-represented and the Congress is under- represented. But regardless of political parties, the important thing about this movement is that it has brought the young and the old together, Hindus and Muslims together, men and women together. The participation of women and students has been amazing, and you can see the difference between pro-CAA and anti-CAA protests.”
Candlelight vigil
On Bannerghatta Road, working professionals turned up to voice their angst in a candlelight vigil organised by Naavu Bharathiyaru.
Syed Tousif, a businessman, said, “People from all walks of life are participating in this protest because we want the government to withdraw the NPR as it is the base to implement the NRC. We are fighting it legally also. More people are becoming aware of why we do not need the CAA, the NRC, and the NPR, and workshops and meets are being held in multiple locations. This is not just a Muslim issue; it is of migrant workers, adivasis, and women. We have seen what happened in the Assam NRC exercise where some members of the same family were included and some others left out.” They also expressed anger at the sedition case filed in the Bidar Shaheen School incident.
