Protests and demonstrations continued in many parts of the State against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on Friday, predominantly organised by Muslim organisations.
In contrast, the counter demonstrations in support of the new legislation by the BJP State unit drew much smaller crowds.
Coimbatore city witnessed major demonstrations opposing and supporting the new law on citizenship.
Thousands participated in a public meeting organised by Coimbatore District Federation of All Jamath and Islamic Organisations at the Aathupalam Junction.
According to the police, the participants included hundreds of women.
Nearly 2,500 police personnel were deployed to monitor the situation.
Most of the shops in Ukkadam, Karumbukkadai, Kuniamuthur and Aathupalam in the city remained shut in response to the hartal called by Muslim outfits, the police said.
Black flags hoisted
Black flags were displayed outside the houses and shops in these areas as a sign of protest.
No untoward incidents were reported. Life was not hit due to these demonstrations, the police said.
Nellai Mubarak, State president of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI); Thamimun Ansari, State president of Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi; and S.M. Backer, State president of India Thowheed Jamaath; participated in the public meeting.
Prior to the meeting, a few thousand participants gathered near the South Taluk office for a demonstration.
In Ariyalur, large number of Muslims staged a demonstration denouncing the CAA on Friday.
Public meeting
In Tiruppur, Member of Parliament K. Subbarayan participated in a public meeting organised by the Federation of All Jamath and Islamic Organisations. Huge crowds were seen at a meeting held in Valipalayam, according to the police.
To counter the anti-CAA protests, members of the BJP staged a demonstration in support of the new law at Tatabad in Coimbatore on Friday.
The police said that nearly a few hundreds of participants, including dozens of women, participated in the pro-CAA demonstration.
Senior BJP leader and former MP C.P. Radhakrishnan and BJP State general secretary S. Vanathi Srinivasan led the demonstration.
In Vellore, the protests and agitations have been increasing to show opposition to the CAA. Students of Islamia College in Vaniyambadi protested on Thursday as hundreds of students gathered in front of their college and staged demonstration.
Students from the Government Law College in the town staged a demo inside their campus against the enactment of the Act.
Road blocked
In Chennai, Muslims took to the streets in a few parts of city on Friday condemning the CAA.
After Friday prayers, hundreds of protesters gathered at the Vaidyanathan bridge and surrounding areas in Tondiarpet and staged a demonstration blocking road.
Another such protest was held in Tirumangalam where around hundreds of people, including youngsters and women, formed a human chain against the CAA and the NRC. In Red Hills, people staged a protest outside a mosque after Friday prayers, police said.
(With inputs
from bureaus)
