CAA: Punjab govt allows students to hold peaceful protest

Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said his government would not stop students from protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and other

Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said his government would not stop students from protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and other controversial actions of the central government but would not allow the state’s peace to be disturbed at any cost.

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Responding to the statewide protest planned by Left-aligned student unions on January 1 against the CAA as well as the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR), the CM said protest was the democratic right of every citizen and people, including students, but it should be conducted peacefully.

Amarinder said his government was also totally opposed to the CAA, NRC, etc in view of the fundamentally divisive and discriminatory nature of the legislation/action initiated by the BJP-led government at the Centre. “There is no question of barring students from coming out against these actions of the Union government,” said the CM, adding that no violence or destruction of public property would be tolerated during the planned protest.

He said the police had been directed to come down heavily against any attempt by the protesters to vandalise public property or otherwise indulge in any violence during their protest. He also urged the student leaders to ensure that proposed protest is carried out peacefully and to keep a check for possible infiltration of “goonda” elements among the protesters.