NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI/NEW DELHI/BENGALURU/AHMEDABAD, DEC 19
A large number of protesters have come out in Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Bengaluru to oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act despite the imposition of Section 144, which prohibits a gathering of more than four people in an area. Police have detained several protesters in Bengaluru’s Town Hall, including Historian Ramchandra Guha while the situation in the national capital remains on the edge. A number of protesters have also been detained near Red Fort in Delhi, including Swaraj India’s Yogendra Yadav. Multiple protests are taking place at the moment in the national capital as commuters have been badly hit due to closure of metro stations. At least 20 Metro stations have been shut in Delhi. As the day progresses, protest marches are expected in other parts of the country including Kolkata, where Mamata Banerjee will again oppose the amended Citizenship Act.
People have started gathering at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai where a protest was announced. Police officials have denied permission for the protest, but still, people have started to gather to hold the protest.
Delhi HC issues notice to Centre, Delhi govt and the police
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court today issued notice to the Centre, the Delhi government and the police on a PIL seeking setting up of a fact finding committee to look into violence at Jamia Millia Islamia University during protests against the Citizen (Amendment) Act (CAA). A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel however declined interim protection to students from coercive action including arrest.
Mobile services, including internet, voice calls, and SMS were on Thursday suspended in parts of Delhi amid heavy protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019. Reports of the services being affected in other parts of the country also poured in as the government cracked down on protestors.
The Delhi Police on Thursday directed the nodal officers of all mobile operators including Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea to suspend mobile services from 9 am to 1 pm in the Walled City area of north and central districts, Mandi House, Seelampur, Jaffarbad and Mustafabad, Jamia Nagar and Shaeen Bagh, Bawana.
