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Thane, Kalyan citizens protest against CAA-NRC
The protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) fanned out to different parts of Thane and Kalyan on Friday.
The protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) fanned out to different parts of Thane and Kalyan on Friday.
More than 25,000 citizens gathered outside the Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNBMC) at Dharmveer Anand Dighe Chowk to raise slogans against the Act. “When families step out to protest in such huge numbers, it shows the feeling of betrayal among us. Youngsters, women and children have also participated in the protest,” said Salim Sheikh, one of the protestors at Bhiwandi.
Around 2pm, after offering their Friday prayers at Jama Masjid, members of the Sunni Ittehad Committee in Rabodi stepped out singing patriotic songs. Around 2,500 protesters walked from the mosque till K Villa. “We are the ones who vote for them and help them form the government at the Centre. Despite this, they are asking for proof of our existence. This is clearly a divide-and-rule policy,” said Dr Azgar Mukkadam, member, Sunni Ittehad Committee.
In Ambernath, a massive rally was carried out by representatives of the Ambernath Mosque Trust. Hundreds of citizens walked from Baba Hazrat Gaibanshah Vali mosque in Kohojgaon, Ambernath (West), to the tehsildar’s office. The protest affected traffic movement on the Kalyan-Badlapur Road. Some protestors also met Ambernath tehsildar Jayraj Deshmukh and gave him a letter, stating their demands. “When the entire nation is protesting against the Act, we can’t keep quiet. The protest was planned to alert the government that we don’t support them. It was done peacefully,” said a representative of the Ambernath Mosque Trust. In Kalyan, around 800 people gathered at the Gafoor Don chowk.
Meanwhile, more than 800 police officers were deployed in Thane and Kalyan to manage the protests. Suresh Mekla, joint commissioner, Thane, said, “If protesters coordinate with us, we can manage the crowd. There is no restriction from our side. In Thane and Bhiwandi, there were three teams of State Reserve Police Force, around 500 police personnel and 70 members from the special branch and crime branch. The deputy commissioner of police (traffic) was also present to ensure smooth flow of traffic.” Around 250 police personnel were deployed across Kalyan on Friday.
