Citizenship Act Protests: Agitation rocks Delhi, political leaders detained, Section 144 imposed

Citizenship (Amendment) Bill: The controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Cabinet. The bill, which seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make illegal immigrants who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, eligible for Indian citizenship, sparked widespread protests across the country.

Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rocked parts of the national capital on December 19, even as Delhi Police claimed permission for holding demonstrations was not given because of law and order issues.

A protest march was scheduled from Red Fort to ITO, however it was intercepted. Swaraj Party founder and political analyst Yogendra Yadav has been detained. Section 144, which forbids unlawful assembly, has been imposed in the Red Fort Area.

Another protest march, led by Left parties, was expected to take place from Mandi House to Parliament Street. However, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI leader D Raja were detained from Mandi House.

Besides, at least 16 metro stations in the capital have been shut. The entry and exit gates have been closed so that people going to protest venues could be dissuaded.

Protests have now reportedly moved to Jantar Mantar.

There were also reports that internet services are being snapped in parts of Delhi.

Catch latest developments on Citizenship Amendment Act here

Earlier in the day, National Highway 48 (NH48) connecting Gurgaon Delhi, which is taken by thousands of commuters, experienced a 7-kilometer long traffic jam after barricades were put up at toll gates and cars were being stopped for checking in anticipation of scheduled protests. This was reported at around 8 am.

Delhi has been rocked by fiery protests in the last couple of days, with protests getting violent in east Delhi’s Seelampur and Jafrabad, where police controlled the agitation by firing tear gas shells and closing the perimeter.

On December 15, the police had taken strict action against students of Jamia Milia Islamia University who were protesting against the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

The act proposes to give citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants who faced religious persecution in neighbouring Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and came to India before December 31, 2014.