Protest against new Citizenship Act, NRC held in Ahmednagar

Members of several organisations staged a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) on Thursday in the adjoining Ahmednagar district in western Maharashtra and criticised the Centre over the twin issues.

The protest, which took place near a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Ahmednagar city, around 125km from here, saw the participation of members from Left-leaning and progressive organisations.

The participants strongly condemned the CAA, which promises Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and demanded the immediate revocation of the newly-enacted legislation.

They also voiced their opposition to the NRC, which is supposed to document bonafide Indian citizens and identify illegal immigrants.

"By bringing this Act, the government is trying to divert people's attention from real issues. This act is against secularism and the very soul of the Constitution," said Arshad Shaikh from the Peace Foundation, one of the outfits which took part in the demonstration.

If the amended Citizenship Act is enforced, India will lose its secular identity, he said.

The new citizenship law, passed by Parliament and approved by the President last week, has triggered massive protests across the country.

CAA's critics say the law is discriminatory and violates the core values of the Constitution.