Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Protests against the amended Citizenship Act continued to grip various parts of the country into the new year as major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru will witness protests marches on Friday.
Protest marches led by queer and trans people were taken out from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar. Cries of ‘Halla Bol’ and ‘Azaadi’ were raised as protesters voiced their dissent against the law. Shanti Devi, a labourer, who had come from Malviya Nagar, told PTI, “Instead of bringing such laws, the government should focus on tackling issues such as poverty, and ensure people like us are fed properly.”
In Kolkata, the march will begin at 3:30 pm from Shahid Minar to Keshav Bhavan and in Chennai, the march will proceed from Chitra Theatre to Ramada Hotel, Egmore at 4 pm. Simultaneous protests will also take place in the national capital at Jamia Millia Islamia, Jantar Mantar and Press Club where activists Harsh Mander and Shivshankar Menon will speak.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was addressing an anti-citizenship law rally in Siliguri, launched a fierce attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked whether the latter was an “ambassador of Pakistan” since he “glorified” the neighbouring country on most occasions.
January 3, which marks the birth anniversary of reformer and anti-caste activist Savitribai Phule, will witness protests in Bhopal, Ranchi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Guntur and Ahmedabad.
On Thursday, rumours erupted regarding women residents of Shaheen Bagh calling off their sit-in protest, which they dismissed. A student coordinator at the protest site had put up a social media post claiming that the road blockade had been “called off”.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at Congress and its allies for taking out rallies for opposing the amended Citizenship law. “Anti-CAA protestors should raise their voice against Pakistan’s atrocities of the past,” he said.
On January 1, protesters brought in the new year with slogans like “kagaz nahi dikhayenge” and “hum dekhenge,” several people protesting against the newly-enacted Citizenship Amendment Act Wednesday took a mass pledge to “defend the Constitution” at Delhi’s India Gate.
On stage, there were actors Swara Bhaskar and Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub, comedian Sanjay Rajoura and poet Gauhar Raza; and off stage, there was 35-year-old Nargis from Batla House, her sister-in-law, nieces, and neighbours. They, along with hundreds of students and locals from Zakir Nagar, Shaheen Bagh and Batla House, had gathered at Jamia Millia Islamia’s gate number 7 on the afternoon of January 1 for the ‘Artists in Solidarity with Jamia’ protest.
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
