CAA: Three hurt in violence after massive Akola protest

However, Akola SP Amogh Gaonkar pegged the crowd at 25,000.

Committee members claimed that protesters from all over the district attended the rally.

“The rally was totally non-political and included people of all faiths. We had religious leaders speaking on the stage. At the end, we took an oath to oppose CAA and NRC and to continue a civil disobedience movement like the one that Gandhiji had launched,” said Zakaria.

The police said that trouble began after the rally ended around 1 pm and crowds began to disperse.

“A group of 5 to 10 people pelted stones at cars parked near the state transport bus stand, Nishant Tower and the Arya Samaj office. Three persons, including two police personnel, sustained minor injuries. We have registered a case of rioting, causing hurt and destroying public property and identified four of the accused. We are scanning CCTV footage to identify the rest of the miscreants,” said a spokesperson for Akola police.

Zakaria described the post-rally violence as “unfortunate”. “The incident took place much after our rally had ended and that too, far away from the venue. The violence appears to the be the work of those who want to create trouble in Akola,” he said.

Meanwhile, around 6,000 people took part in a protest organised by Muslim organisations in Nashik City on Sunday morning.

The event was held people at Eidgah Maidan between 11.10 am and 1.30 pm, said Vishwas Nangre-Patil, Nashik police commissioner.

He added that the protesters handed over a memorandum to the resident deputy collector.

Smaller protests were also held in Dhule and Parbhani towns on Sunday. Another protest against CAA and NRC is scheduled to be held in Malegaon town on Monday.