Uttar Pradesh: Crackdown on Azamgarh anti-CAA protest, 18 held

VARANASI: In a crackdown on protesters staging a sit-in against the new citizenship law, police arrested 18 persons, including a cleric and a woman, on Wednesday for defying orders and starting the agitation at Jauhar Ali Bagh in Bilariyaganj, about 17km from Azamgarh district headquarters, without seeking prior permission.
The cleric arrested for his alleged role in mobilizing people is an office-bearer of Rashtriya Ulema Council.
Some women reached Jauhar Ali Bagh on Tuesday afternoon and started a sit-in against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and proposed National Register of Citizens. By the night, scores of women joined the and raised slogans, demanding rollback of CAA and NRC. Police tried to convince them to leave, but they continued their dharna. After midnight, police realeased water in the ground to disperse the crowd and vacated the park around 4am.
Azamgarh DM Nagendra Pratap Singh, who was camping at the site, said, “Repeated efforts were made to persuade the women to end the protest. Some women got convinced and started leaving the place, but some youths standing in nearby lanes made them return to the dharna site.”
Police used force and tear gas to disperse the crowd when a group of locals allegedly pelted stones at them. Several protesters, including a woman, sustained injuries.
“Police used tear gas when a few anti-social elements began brickbatting. “The situation is under control now,” the DM said.
Police arrested 18 persons after a scuffle and heavy force was deployed in the area. The national general secretary of Ulema Council, Maulana Tahir Madani, was among those arrested.
“It came to light that members of Ulema Council had played an active role in organizing the demonstration,” said Singh.