Pro and anti-CAA rallies held in Pune

Two separate rallies supporting and opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) were held on Sunday evening in Pune city and nearby Pimpri-Chinchwad township.

While outfits like 'Yuvak Kranti Dal', 'Professional Congress' among others held a demonstration against the new citizenship law at Goodluck Chowk on Fergusson College road, a separate rally was taken out in support of the CAA in Pimpri- Chinchwad area.

Both the protests were peaceful.

At the Fergusson Road congregation, students and youths held placards with slogans like 'Millenials won't board this #CAB, 'We Reject CAA/NRC', 'Respect Existence or Expect Resistance', 'Our Solidarity is Lathiproof', 'All Fascists Are Bound to Lose' 'Modi Teri Chai Unsecular Hai' , 'Modiji Please Focus on Real Issues, written on them, and shouted slogans denouncing the CAA and proposed National Register of Citizenship (NRC) exercise.

On December 17, hundreds of students from the Fergusson College held a rally and a signature campaign inside the campus against the CAA and NRC to protest against the police crackdown on students of the Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMI) in Delhi.

According to the CAA, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 and facing religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants, and be given Indian citizenship.

Sandip Barve, one of the members of the Yuvak Kranti Dal, said the government will have to repeal the "discriminatory" act in view of widescale protests.

He said students will oppose the designs to turn India into a "Hindu rashtra".

"People will fight against the elements trying to divide the people of this country," another protester said.

Meanwhile, around 700-800 people, mostly workers of the BJP, turned up for the Pimpri-Chinchwad congregation, where they raised slogans hailing the CAA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Amar Sable and local MLA were present on the occasion.

Members of the gathering waved the national tricolour and saffron flags.