Hyderabad: Protests erupt at Maulana Azad National Urdu University against CAA

Students of the Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) in Hyderabad on Monday held protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, as well as in support of their counterparts in New Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

Students carried placards that read "Delhi Police murdabad" -- in reference to the clashes witnessed between Jamia students and the police outside the campus on Sunday during protests -- and raised slogans of "Azadi".

"Through this protest, we want to express our solidarity with the students of Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University, and other protesters in Assam and other regions of the country," said the former president of MANUU Student Union.

"We request the government to roll back this undemocratic Citizenship (Amendment) Act," he added.

The Citizenship Act seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Parliament earlier this week and became an Act with President Ram Nath Kovind giving his assent on November 12.