The protest organised by the joint action committee comprising various Muslim and progressive organisations against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the city on Saturday witnessed a huge turnout.
Addressing the protest meet near Mahaveera Circle, Maulana Aaqil Raza Misbahi, Khateeb Imam of Jamiya Masjid, said that since the CAA proposes to accord citizenship on the basis of religion, it is discriminatory by nature and against the principles of secularism, equality and social justice enshrined in the Constitution. He said that laws like CAA “that are intended to create rift in society” would weaken democracy.
M. Gurumurthy of Karnataka Dalita Sangharsha Samiti said that initiatives by the BJP-led government such as CAA and the recent decision by the Union Cabinet to allocate funds to update the National Population Register (NPR) were efforts to conceal its failure to resolve the problem of unemployment, inflation and economic slowdown. He alleged that the Centre has failed to resolve the apprehension among the Muslims that CAA and NPR would result in their disenfranchisement.
The protesters also submitted a memorandum to the Central and State governments, through Shivamogga Tahsildar,for withdrawal of CAA . Functionaries of the committee including Mufti Mujeebullah Qasmi, Maulana Masood Ahmed Hashmi, social activists K.P. Sripal and Harsha Kumar Kugwe took part in the protest.
In wake of the protest, traffic was diverted at Balaraj Urs Road, Shivamurthy Circle and Jail Road to ensure hassle-free vehicular movement. Police personnel were deployed in large numbers in sensitive areas of the city to avoid untoward incidents.
