Grateful citizens felicitate cop after peaceful anti-CAA rally

Residents of Bhiwandi near Mumbai on Wednesday felicitated a police officer for the police's deft handling of a huge protest march against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act last week.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajkumar Shinde was felicitated in the traditional Maharashtrian way, with gift of shawl and a 'shri-fal' (coconut).

Bhiwandi, a hub of powerloom industry in Thane district, is considered communally sensitive and had witnessed major Hindu-Muslim riots in the 1970s and 1980s.

Nearly one lakh people came out on the streets last Friday after namaz and took part in a protest march against the CAA and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).

But the protest passed off peacefully, ending after a memorandum was submitted to the local authorities.

A large number of Muslim women participated in the felicitation on Wednesday. Some of them spoke on the occasion, praising Shinde and the police force.

Talking to reporters, Shinde said the police were receiving praise on social media too.

The officials meticulously planned security and used drones, CCTVs and public address system to keep a watch and manage the crowds, he said.

Police communicated with protesters, assuring them that they will get full cooperation, he said.

Shinde thanked the people for maintaining peace.

The controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act provides for grant of citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians who migrated from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh before 2015 due to persecution.

It has sparked off nation-wide protests. The Act's critics allege that it discriminates against Muslims and violates the principle of secularism.