CAA: peaceful protests in Mumbai, stone-pelting in Ahmedabad

Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens turned violent in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city on Thursday.

In Mumbai, the country's financial capital, a peaceful public meeting against the controversial amended act was attended by thousands of people.

Madhya Pradesh too witnessed protests, which were by and large peaceful.

In Ahmedabad's Shah-E-Alam area, at least five policemen were injured in stone-pelting. The police lobbed teargas shells to disperse the mob of around 2,000 persons.

Assistant Commissioner of Police R B Rana was among the policemen injured in the stone pelting.

Earlier in the afternoon, police baton-charged people who gathered in Sardar Baug garden in Mirzapur area of Ahmedabad to protest against the Citizenship Act and NRC.

At least 20 protesters were detained, said inspector F M Nayab, a local police official.

Alp-Sankhyak Adhikar Manch, an organisation working for the minority communities, had given a call for Ahmedabad bandh on Thursday. Police said it did not have much impact barring Muslim-dominated areas including Juhapura, Jamalpur, Gomtipur and Teen Darwaja.

In Mumbai, protesters converged at the August Kranti Maidan, where Mahatma Gandhi in 1942 told the British to quit India.

The gathering included workers of political parties, students and a smattering of Bollywood personalities, who made out a strong case against the Act and the National Register of Citizens.

The protest remained peaceful throughout.

While Shiv Sena stayed away from the protest, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray hit out at the Centre, asking how and where the government intended to settle Hindu immigrants in the country after the amended act gives them citizenship.

In Congress-ruled Madhya Pradesh, protests swept through districts of Bhopal, Shajapur, Khandwa, Khargone, Seoni, Gwalior, Betul, Ratlam, Barwani, Sagar, Ujjain and Panna.

Prohibitory orders under CrPC section 144, banning assembly of people, were clamped in 43 of the 52 districts in the state, a police officer said.

In coastal Goa, two exhibits touching upon the Citizenship Act and NRC were closed for public viewing at the Serendipity Arts Festival.

While the festival organisers did not comment on the move, a source said both the illustrations, curated by artist Sudarshan Shetty, were barred for viewers on Wednesday.

One of these illustrations had a visual depiction of Miyah verse, a poetry of Assamese genre which reflects anger over discrimination against Assamese Muslims, a source said.

Another exhibit by Shetty, which was closed down for viewing, involved liberty for visitors to draw graffitis of their choice with black ink on blank canvases.