Hundreds gather for protest against CAA, NRC in Mysuru

Confusion over call for cancellation by a section of leaders

Hundreds of people gathered for a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Registry of Citizens (NRC) at Town Hall in Mysuru on Monday.

However, utter confusion preceded the congregation of people with a section of the leadership deciding to put off the protest in view of the prohibitory orders imposed by the city police on the roads outside the venue.

Despite prohibitory orders, people, carrying placards and the national flag, made a beeline for the Town Hall shouting slogans against the BJP government at the Centre for implementing the “anti-democratic” and “divisive” CAA and NRC.

Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) leader Abdul Majeed, who was at the demonstration, said the BJP government at the Centre had resorted to an “unconstitutional” action at a time when the country’s economy needed attention in view of the plummeting GDP and sluggish automobile and textile sectors.

Late on Sunday, the city police imposed prohibitory orders on the roads surrounding Town Hall in view of a threat to law and order situation and public property from the protest.

City Police Commissioner K.T. Balakrishna imposed prohibitory orders under Section 35 of the Karnataka Police Act for a distance of upto 500 metres from Town Hall on Ashoka Road, V.V. Road, Mahaveer Circle and Gandhi Square from 6 a.m. to midnight on Monday.

A delegation of leaders representing progressive, Dalit and minority organisations led by Congress leader and former Mayor Ayub Khan met the Police Commissioner on Monday and requested him to lift the prohibitory orders, but in vain.

The police issued a press statement on Monday, hours before the scheduled protest, stating that the leaders had called off the demonstration scheduled for 2 p.m. on Monday.

However, Mr. Majeed said the prohibitory orders would not be in force inside the boundary of the Town Hall. Hence, there is no objection to holding the demonstration inside the Town Hall compound. “We have a clarification from the police in the regard”, he said, appealing to the public to join the protest at Town Hall.