Former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president and CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Thursday kicked off his month-long protest 0march against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens from Bhitiharwa in West Champaran.
Mr. Kumar, along with his supporters and local party workers, were, however, prevented from addressing the meeting outside the Bhitiharwa Gandhi Ashram for some time as permission had been cancelled by the district administration because of Saraswati Puja. However, he was later allowed to address the meeting and begin his protest march.
“He [Kanhaiya Kumar] was neither detained not arrested… since his meeting was cancelled by the district administration last night to maintain law and orderon the occasion of Saraswati Puja, he was stopped from addressing the meeting for sometime,” said West Champaran District Magistrate Nilesh Ramchandra Deore.
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Earlier, in a post on social media Mr. Kumar had said that he was being detained by the West Champaran police and was not being allowed to address the meeting and begin his protest march from Gandhi Ashram at Bhitiharwa. Speaking to local journalists he said, “The administration wants all Indians to show documentary proof of being citizens but the police is not showing him papers for his detention order.”
‘Deep-rooted conspiracy’
“They [the BJP government at the Centre] have used official machinery as a part of a deep-rooted conspiracy to gag the voice of the common people and derail my scheduled programme which is aimed at spreading awareness about CAA, NRC and NPR to the common people,” he said.
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On Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary, the month-long protest march began from Bhitiharwa Gandhi Ashram and is scheduled to culminate in a public meeting at Patna’s Gandhi Maintain on February 29.