Bharat bandh: Thousands take part in anti-CAA protest at Jantar Mantar

New Delhi, Jan. 29 (PTI): Thousands of people from northern states, including many who have been part of a sit-in at Shaheen Bagh, and student groups on Wednesday held a protest at Jantar Mantar here against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

“We want the government to roll back the alliance of CAA, NRC and NPR,” said Nadeem Khan, an activist of NGO ‘United Against Hate’.

Student groups from Jamia Millia Islamia, Jawaharlal Nehru University ((JNU), Delhi University, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Maulana Azad National Urdu University and Hyderabad Central University were among those who took part in the protest.

Many protesters from Shaheen Bagh, where a dharna against the CAA has been on for over a month now, also joined the demonstration.

The ‘Shaheen Bagh dadis’ — as the elderly women who have become a unique part of the sit-in in south Delhi are called — had come to take part in the protest but could not reach the venue due to traffic restrictions.

Among the protesters were people from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab.

Naim Rabbani (41), a Jaipur-based businessman, said the CAA is discriminatory since it does not include Muslims.

“We will try to save the Constitution till our last breath. It’s a long journey,” Rabbani, who had come along with 400 people, said.

Protesters also condemned the arrest of JNU PhD scholar Sharjeel Imam, who was held by the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch in Bihar’s Jehanabad in a sedition case for allegedly making inflammatory speeches.

“We condemn the arrest of Sharjeel Imam and we condemn the sedition charges levelled against him. His family was also harassed,” Nadeem Khan said

Mohammad Javed (37) said he left the Army to sit in the anti-CAA protests. Javed said he has served at the Siachin glacier.

“We are all Indians, my forefathers have fought for the country too and I will show no documents,” he said.

Zulekha Jabin (50), a Delhi-based social activist, said their fight is for the younger generation and for freedom.

“We will strive for it till our last breath,” she said.

Two die in clash over CAA in Bengal

Kolkata, Jan. 29 (IANS): Two persons were killed and at least one person sustained an injury in a clash over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Wednesday, police said.

One person injured in the incident has been hospitalised, police said. Unofficial sources, however, put the injury figure at three.

The violence followed an argument between two groups on the CAA at Jalangi, around 200km from Kolkata.

The dead and the injured had bullet injuries.

Sources said a roadblock was set up in Sahebnagar locality by protestors opposing CAA and a possible countrywide National Register of Citizens since 9-30 am.

The clash ensued when another group reached the area. Several rounds were fired and a number of vehicles vandalised and torched during the clash.

A local residents forum, which had organised the roadblock, accused the Trinamool Congress and its leader Tahiruddin Sheikh of carrying out the attack.

But the Trinamool denied the charge and blamed the CPI-M and the Congress for the violence.