Uttar Pradesh Police crackdown on anti-CAA protesters continues

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Uttar Pradesh Police crackdown on anti-CAA protesters continues

About 50 women began the sit-in demonstration on Friday but the crowds swelled on Saturday

Sunday January 19, 2020 7:23 PM, ummid.com with inputs from IANS

Lucknow/Aligarh: The Uttar Pradesh police crackdown on those protesting against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) continued with seizure of blankets and food packets in Lucknow and filing of FIR against women in Aligarh.

In visuals captured on mobile phones, policemen can be seen taking away blankets and boxes of what appeared to be food packets from the protest site on Saturday night in Lucknow.

The cops, some of them wearing helmets, were also seen taking away Styrofoam sheets meant to be spread on the ground for those who were to spend the night there.

A video shot on Saturday night, also showed a woman protester running after some cops as she yells at them and asks, "Why are you taking the blankets?"

Another video from Clock Tower Lucknow.

UP Police confiscating blanket and food and other stuff of protesters.

Shame on Yogi and his Police,how the hell they can confiscated their stuff? #CAA_NRC_Protests #IndiaAgainstCAA_NRC

2/n pic.twitter.com/it3nLYZJzE
— Md Asif Khan‏‎‎‎‎‎‎ آصِف (@imMAK02) January 18, 2020

A Sikh man who went there with food for the women and children said, "Some of the cops tried to stop us but others let us pass. This is basic humanity and so we are here."

Apparently taken aback by the flak that the UP Police faced on the social media for taking away blankets and food of the protesters at the Clock Tower in Lucknow, the police denied the allegations but admitted that the 'blankets were seized after due process.'

About 50 women began the sit-in demonstration on Friday but the crowds swelled on Saturday and the protest became 'indefinite'. Women, children and senior citizens joined the protest and several organisations also came out in their support.

In Aligarh, an FIR has been lodged against more than 60 unnamed women for allegedly staging protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The police said that the protest organised by the women was in violation of Section 144 which was imposed in the district at that time.

"Some women tried to stage a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Population Register, in violation of Section 144. An FIR has been registered against 60-70 unknown women and we are starting the process of identifying them", Anil Samania, Circle Officer (CO) of Aligarh Civil Lines, said.

Protests broke out in different parts of India, including Uttar Pradesh, which grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists, and Christians facing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.

Critics say granting citizenship on the basis of religion is against the Constitution of India. UP Police is also criticised for using brutal force against peaceful protesters.

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