Protest march taken out in Solapur against CAA

Several Muslim organisations took out a protest march in Maharashtra's Solapur district on Wednesday against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, alleging that it discriminates on religious lines.

The Act violates the basic frameworkof the Constitution and is against the Muslim community, the protesters charged.

The march began outside the district court in Solapur and culminated at the collectorate, where the protesters submitted a memorandum to Deputy CollectorAjit Deshmukh, demanding that the Act be revoked.

Mufti Sayyad Ahmed Ali Kazi, the city's chief kazi, who had earlier appealed to citizens to support the protest, claimed nearly 40,000 people took part in the march.

During the march, the protesters held placards and banners carrying messages like "revoke CAA".

The protesters, in their memorandum, alleged that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act discriminates on religious lines and is against human rights.

"The Act violates the basic frameworkof the Constitution and is against the Muslim community," it said.

Kazi said through the memorandum, they urged President Ram Nath Kovind the revoke the Act.

He claimed that the police allowed only him to deliver a speech outside the collectorate after the protest march, which was organised by the city's Markazi Ittehad Committee.