While the rest of the country witnessed an outbreak of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) from an early stage, it took some time for the protests to spill over to Andhra Pradesh.
Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) first broke out in Assam in early December. Later, by the time was passed in Parliament, the protests gained momentum and spread to all major cities across the c ountry by the second week of December. However, Andhra Pradesh remained unusually quiet till December 19. On December 19, a sleepy town on the eastern fringes of Kurnool district called Adoni came to life as thousands of protesters marched against CAA and NRC, shouting anti-government slogans.
The massive rally was organised by Muslim leaders and had the support of the Congress, Left parties, Human Rights Forum and other social outfits. Since that winter morning in Adoni, protests have spread like wildfire in Kurnool district. Massive rallies were held in Kurnool city, Yemmiganur and Nandyal. A massive rally was taken out by the CPI(M) in Kurnool city, which culminated in a public meet on Saturday.
Superintendent of Police Fakeerappa Kaginelli told The Hindu that minor rallies were also taken out in Banaganapalle, Atmakur, Velugodu, Gadivemula, Allagadda and Sirivella. “Permissions were given to all the rallies, and all of them were peaceful,” Mr. Kaginelli said.
Unlike some other major anti-NRC protests that took place in the country, the role of students was minimal in Kurnool. Most of th e rallies and demonstrations were organised by Muslims and attended largely by Muslims. In Kurnool city, the protest rally was led by burqa-clad women who were followed by thousands of men.
An activist with HRF, Gutta Rohit, who has been tracking anti-NRC protests in the State, said that major protests were also held in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Kavali, Kadapa, Anantapur, Proddutur and Guntur. “However, the protests in Kurnool came first as there is a sizeable population of Muslims in Rayalaseema, especially in Kurnool district,” Mr. Rohit said.
Pro-CAA rallies
While protests against CAA drew a large number of people, there were also a few demonstrations in support of the Act in Kurnool district. Mr. Kaginelli said that a pro-CAA demonstration was held at Yemmiganur and a bike rally was also held in Kurnool city. “Indoor meetings, awareness meetings and workshops have also taken place,” he said.
