Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jan 5: The protests organized under the banner, 'Hum Bharath Ke Log' at the town hall and other locations in the city on Saturday January 4 against the implementation of Citizenship Ammendment Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC) witnessed good attendance and active participation.

In his address, former deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district, Sasikanth Senthil, who has resigned as IAS officer, made a pitch for the withdrawal of CAA, duly holding it unconstitutional. He said that it is against the founding principles of the Constitution and hence irrelevant to India.

Senthil further accused the union government of trying to pave the way for confrontation between the majority and minority communities with an eye on votes with these kinds of law. He said that CAA and other such initatives are aimed at bagging power and divert the people's attention away from the poor economic situation in which India finds itself in, and other serious issues affecting the country.

The programme had a good number of audience comprising mostly women and children. As the town hall also happened to be the place where Bharath Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) employees held protest against the privatisation move, there was some confusion. The police said that BEML employees were permitted time till 4 pm and that they overstayed the time without authorization. Therefore they were denied the permission to take out a procession to the Freedom Park.

The protesters were separated with the help of barricades. Some of the protesters said they were not opposed to CAA but are apprehensive about the affect it will have on poor classes which are devoid any documents to prove their citizenship.