In wake of violent protests against CAA and NRC in parts of Gujarat, the state government on Friday authorised additional DGP (Intelligence) to suspend mobile based internet services in case of any exigency from December 20 to 22.
The government’s move is precautionary and will be implemented only if deemed necessary should the situation worsens.
Meanwhile, there was an incident of stone pelting on policemen in Vadodara during the CAA protests. The situation is now under control with additional deployment of police personnel.
5,000 people booked in Ahmedabad
A day after violence during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Ahmedabad police lodged an FIR against a group of 5,000 people who targeted police personnel in Shah-e-Alam area in the city.
The police arrested 49 people, including a local Congress municipal councillor, for inciting the mob.
During the protest on Thursday, several policemen, including an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), were injured in heavy stone-pelting when a protest march against the CAA and the NRC turned violent in Shah-e-Alam area.
The police lobbed teargas shells to disperse around 2,500 people when some started pelting stones on police vehicles and policemen, who were deployed at this communally sensitive spot.
“There was one incident of violence in which some of our policemen received injuries in stone-pelting. The police beefed up security there, detained persons and situation was brought under control,” said Ashish Bhatia, Police Commissioner of Ahmedabad. He added that the police would identify the miscreants and action would be taken against them.
Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel while condemning the assaults on the policemen said “some anti-social elements are trying to incite violence and disturb peace in the State.”
He asked the police to take stern action against those who tried to take the law in their hands.
Shops remain closed
Meanwhile, protesters shouted slogans saying “No CAB, No NRC” and ‘Save Constitution” as markets in the walled city remained closed while protests were held in several places despite the police now allowing any march.
Earlier in the afternoon, police baton-charged people who gathered in Sardar Baug garden in Mirzapur area to protest against the CAA Act and the NRC.
The police dispersed nearly 200 protesters as they had not obtained permission for the demonstration, and at least 20 of them were detained and taken to the Police Commissioner office from where they were released after a few hours.
Several outfits, including Left parties and some Muslim outfits, took out protest marches in different parts of Gujarat, including Morbi and Banaskantha districts, demanding rollback of the CAA and the NRC.
Alp-Sankhyak Adhikar Manch, an organisation working for the minority communities, had given a call for Ahmedabad bandh on Thursday.
In response to the bandh call, markets and shops in some Muslim-dominated areas, including Juhapura, Jamalpur, Gomtipur and Teen Darwaja remained closed, but elsewhere it had no major impact.
In view of the shut-down call, the police on Wednesday had said no rally or protest would be allowed anywhere in the city.
In Banaskantha also, a minor violence was reported when a mob started heckling police personnel whey they tried to disperse the crowd in the march.
In Ahmedabad, Independent legislator Jignesh Mevani was also detained when he was leading a protest march.
