No major violence as protests continue against CAA, BJP launches counter-campaign, UP authorities suspect role of SIMI, PFI in clashes

Demonstrations against the amended Citizenship Act continued on Sunday in various parts of the country though no major incident of violence was reported, while the BJP launched its counter-campaign to rally support for the contentious law which has been dubbed as "divisive" by the Opposition.

Blaming "outsiders" for the violence during anti-CAA protests which has claimed 17 lives over the last few days in the state, UP Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said authorities suspect that the culprits are linked to Islamic outfits PFI and SIMI.

"There is involvement of Popular Front of India (PFI). They have connection with SIMI. Six people from Malda (in West Bengal) have been arrested," he said. Students Islamic Movement of India or SIMI is a banned terror outfit.

Sharma said that 62 police personnel suffered injuries due to firearms during the violent protests. "About 500 empty cartridges of prohibited bore have been found. This indicates that the protestors were using illegal weapons," he said.

Authorities "detained" a four-member Trinamool Congress delegation from West Bengal led by former MP Dinesh Trivedi at Lucknow airport when it was heading to meet the families of those killed in the clashes, drawing sharp response from Mamata Banerjee's party.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited Bijnor district where she met families of two persons killed in the violence and demanded a judicial inquiry.

"It is a clear case of murder. The bullets were fired first and then the stones were pelted. The Congress will fight for the families and ensure that justice is delivered to them. The party will raise this issue in Lok Sabha as well," she said.

UP authorities began a crackdown on vandals, sealing 67 shops in Muzaffarnagar and identifying the culprits in various violence-affected districts through video footage.

IG (Kanpur range) Mohit Agarwal said role of AIMIM workers and SIMI activists was being suspected behind Saturday's violence. "Cases have been registered against a large number of SIMI workers," he said.

Police said the situation remained by and large peaceful in the state capital and other districts like Meerut, Firozabad, Kanpur and Bijnor. Internet services have been suspended in several areas till Monday, while prohibitory orders remained in force across the state.

On a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in the national capital and appealed for peace, a number of protests against the amended Citizenship Act were held in the city even as police maintained a strict vigil and carried out flag march in sensitive areas.

Although the Delhi Police made elaborate arrangements to ensure that there was no protest around the rally venue, Ramila Ground, areas like Jantar Mantar, Jamia Millia, Nizammudin, and Connaught Place witnessed multiple peaceful demonstrations.

"The citizenship law or the NRC has nothing to do with Indian Muslims. They have nothing to worry," Modi said at the rally in a bid to allay concerns of the community, and condemned the violent protests, telling rivals they "can burn his effigy and thrash it with shoes if they wish", but they should not target the poor.

Protests against the amended citizenship law by Congress, Left and other parties and outfits, and counter-protests by BJP and Hindu organisations were held in many states.

Many top BJP leaders, including Union Ministers, defended the CAA at events organised by the party in several the states. Union Minister Nitin Gandkari addressed an event backed by the RSS in Nagpur, while BJP working president J P Nadda was in Indore
However, in Manipur, the state government has imposed prohibitory orders in Imphal West district for two months in view of the continued protests against the new citizenship law
In Madurai, activists of Campus Front of India and an Islamic outfit were booked for staging a protest against the CAA on Saturday without taking permission, police said