Protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) showed no signs of abating in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai Saturday, even though the number of agitators thinned after two days of massive demonstrations. Over a thousand people gathered at Nerul near Noor Masjid to hold a peaceful protest amid heavy police presence. “If people don’t come out and protest now, tomorrow it will be our Indian-ness that they will be under question. All Indians must stand together,” Sakshi Bharadwaj, a Nerul resident, said. Students from various colleges, holding placards and with painted faces, also poured on the streets of Navi Mumbai, which saw a string of protests throughout the day. “The younger generation is spearheading the movement and that’s what gives us hope that this country will abide by our Constitution forever,” Brinda Kamat, organiser of one of the protests, said. Ayaz Alam, a protester said: “It is not about any religion, it is about the country and the direction it is taking. I am going to each and every protest for as long as they don’t roll back this threat.” In Panvel, over a hundred people gathered at Shivaji Chauk to oppose the newly introduced legislation. “We are going to protest every day at different locations,” Mayur Jagatani, a local resident”, said. “We have been just standing with placards and trying to spread awareness. It is a peaceful protest,” he added. Meanwhile, police were deployed in parts of Navi Mumbai to prevent any untoward incidents. “Our teams are alert and we are urging people to cooperate with us. Protesting peacefully is not a crime and we are there to help manage law and order situation,” said a senior officer from Navi Mumbai police. At Anand Nagar in Andheri (West), senior lawyer Mihir Desai, senior journalist Geeta Seshu and students’ leader from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Fawad Ahmed organised a talk, ‘Democracy Talks’, on the ongoing protests. Addressing the audience of around 70-80 persons, they answered questions ranging from what the newly introduced legislation entailed for citizens of India from different walks of life and what one could do as the situation turned ‘grim’. “It is not the time to get invested in religion. If people are united and keep on raising their voices, the government has to change its decision,” said Desai. Responding to a question about women who have to relocate after marriage, Seshu said, “For women, it is worse. If documents are not ready, then there is no provision to make it into the NRC.” Congress leader from Andheri West, Sufiyan Haider, also led a demonstration against CAA and NRC in the area.
