AMU protest march against CAB stopped midway, internet services curbed in Aligarh, Saharanpur

The students of Aligarh Muslim University took out a protest march against the passage of CAB in Parliament, but the district administration, with tight security arrangements, stopped them midway.
Protestors from the Muslim community during a demonstration against the passing of Citizenship Amendment Bill, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Friday, Dec. 13, 2019.  (Photo | PTI)
Protestors from the Muslim community during a demonstration against the passing of Citizenship Amendment Bill, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. (Photo | PTI)

LUCKNOW: In the wake of protest call given by various Muslim outfits in western Uttar Pradesh against the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) passed by the Parliament, the district administrations of Aligarh and communally sensitive Saharanpur kept the internet services shut till further orders.

Meanwhile, the security was spruced up across the state in view of the protest call given by Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind (JuH) on Friday.

In Aligarh, the students of Aligarh Muslim University took out a protest march against the passage of CAB in Parliament, but the district administration, with tight security arrangements, stopped the protestors at the main gate – Babe Sayyad – of the campus and did not allow it continue till collectorate.

In the wake of ongoing protests by the students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) against the CAB despite Section 144 prohibiting the assembly of four or more persons, the district administration had stopped the internet services from Thursday midnight till Friday 5 pm.

Amid the call for a protest march given by Salman Imtiyaz, former president of AMU Students Union (AMUSU), the district administration had prohibited all assemblies and agitations.

Imtiyaz had given the call to take out a protest march against CAB from Jama Masjid of AMU campus to collectorate after Friday prayers on campus.

He had claimed that over 30,000 protestors, including AMU students, teachers and non-teaching staff would participate in the protest march.

The curbs on internet services in Aligarh were extended to all social media messaging sites by the telecom service providers in conformation to the administration’s directives.

According to Saharanpur DM, Alok Kumar Pandey, following the state government’s directives, internet services across the district were shut till further orders as a precautionary step.

Notably, Saharanpur is a Muslim dominated district where the minority community is over 40 per cent of the total population.

The step was taken by the district administration in response to the traffic jam held on Saharanpur–Muzaffarnagar highway by the students of various madrasas of Deoband in Saharanpur against CAB on Wednesday.

Even the police administration had booked around 250 students on Thursday.

Meanwhile, security arrangements were spruced up in both the districts with the deployment of heavy contingent of police forces in every nook and corner.

While Rampur witnessed anti-CAB protests on Thursday, the Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC), an organisation of Bareilly clerics and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), held a demonstration after prayers on Friday.

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