Citizenship Act Protests in India

• 12.20.2019, 15:34
•  World

Kaznews

Thousands of people, protesting against a controversial citizenship law, have gathered outside one of India's oldest mosques in Delhi, BBC reports.

Police briefly detained Chandrashekhar Azad, a Dalit (formerly untouchables) leader who defied orders to halt a march from Jama Masjid in old Delhi.

But Mr Azad managed to escape, says BBC Hindi's Dilnawaz Pasha.

Indian officials also shut down mobile internet services in several cities in anticipation of more protests.

Mr Azad is currently untraceable, our correspondent says. He had managed to escape during a scuffle between his supporters and the police, as they tried to detain him.

Police in Delhi shut the route to Jama Masjid, and closed down metro stations in the vicinity. They were on the look out for Mr Azad, but he evaded them and appeared outside the 16th Century mosque after Friday prayers, holding up a copy of India's constitution.

The protest is continuing as the crowd outside the mosque swells.

A rally by Opposition MP Asaddudin Owaisi is underway in Hyderabad city; and more protests are expected in Bangalore city, where thousands of people took to the streets on Thursday.

Three people died and thousands were detained during Thursday's protests, which turned violent in some parts of the country.

Mobile data services have been shut in Lucknow and Mangalore cities and some parts of West Bengal state. Several areas in Uttar Pradesh state are also affected.

Meanwhile, following a high court order, data services in the north-eastern state of Assam, which were switched off for almost two weeks, have been restored.

The new law - known as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) - offers citizenship to non-Muslim illegal immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.