Citizenship protests: Hundreds detained; mobile, internet services suspended in Delhi

Hundreds of students, activists and opposition leaders were detained on Thursday when they defied prohibitory orders to protest against the new citizenship law as large parts of the national capital reeled under restrictions on mobile internet services and traffic movement.

Opposition leaders including D Raja, Sitaram Yechury, Nilotpal Basu, Brinda Karat, Ajay Maken Sandeep Dikshit and activists Yogendra Yadav, Umar Khalid, were among those detained near the Red Fort and Mandi House -- the sites of the two planned demonstrations.

Hundreds of flag-waving students and activists converged near the historic Jantar Mantar in the afternoon to voice their anger against the contentious law after police forcefully evicted protesters from areas around Red Fort and Mandi House. Permission for holding any demonstration in the two sites was not granted.

In the locality around the Red Fort, scores of protestors were dragged into buses by police in a bid to clear the area where Section 144 of the CrPC was imposed which restricts gathering of more than four people.

Entry and exit gates of at least 18 Delhi Metro stations were shut while barricades were erected in large part of South, East and North Delhi to check movement of protesters, triggering massive traffic snarls in large parts of the city.

Internet, voice and messaging services by Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio were suspended in parts of Delhi-NCR, in perhaps for the first time that the national capital experienced such restrictions.

Jyoti Saha, accompanied by her five year old twins at the Jantar Mantar protest, said:"So tomorrow, when they (police) make appeals to parents to not let their kids go to protest, they (kids) should know what they should do so."
As the city witnessed massive protest over the citizenship aw, Delhi Chief Minister
Several posters have been put up at the protest site against the amended Citizenship law. One of posters read --"Digital India with no internet, Janta mange rozi roti, milti hamko lathi gali, save constitution save country."