Citizenship law: Protests on, 10,000 march in Maharashtra’s Buldhana

Organisations like Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Buldhana, Azad Hind Sanghtna, Jamiat Ahle Hadees Buldhana, Bahujan Kranti Morcha and Aam Aadmi Party participated in the protest.

In their memorandum, addressed to President Ram Nath Kovind, the protesters wrote that the central government was trying to sow the seeds of division between communities with the introduction of the CAA and NRC. “The country is currently facing an economic slowdown, mass unemployment and serious issues like environmental pollution and farmer suicides. Instead of addressing these urgent issues, the government is only distracting the attention of citizens by introducing such unimportant legislation,” the petition stated.

Advocate Satish Rothe, who heads the Azad Hind Sanghatna, claimed that the number of the protesters was much higher than what the police estimated. “All communities decided to jointly protest CAA and NRC to show that we are united. Muslim organisations took the lead in organising the protest and many others joined them.”

Buldhana SP Dilip Patil-Bhujbal said, “People came from all over the district and villages close to the town. On Friday, we had a healthy dialogue with the organisers and asked them to tell us in advance what slogans they would be raising.” The protest passed off peacefully, he added.

In Solapur, between 200 to 250 people marched across the town’s major junctions on Saturday evening, the police said. The turnout was much smaller than that on December 16, when thousands had taken to the streets. In Jalna and Beed districts, the police estimated that crowds of nearly 3,000 people each marched in protest.

Protests also took place in Gadchiroli, adjoining towns of Chandrapur and Gondia, Parbhani and Nanded. A senior police officer said that no violence or untoward incidents were reported in the state during Saturday’s protests.

Meanwhile, 20 people were detained and 130 booked in Hingoli district in Marathawada region on Friday for allegedly damaging public property and rioting during separate protests against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

The violence was reported in Kalamnuri town and Hingoli city in the district on Friday in which stones were hurled at policemen, an official said. “So far, police have detained around 20 people for damaging public property and rioting,” the official said, adding that 130 people have been booked for cheating, attempting to murder, endangering life or personal safety of others, voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means and unlawful assembly.

Cases were also registered at Parbhani and Beed districts against some protesters under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Three people have been arrested in Parbhani district in separate violence-related incidents. WITH PTI INPUTS