PRO-CAA rally raises ‘shoot’ slogan

NEWDELHI: A group of people supporting the newly amended citizenship law reached Jamia Millia Islamia university area on Tuesday afternoon and shouting slogans, calling for “shooting traitors of the country.”

Police said at least 45 people were detained on the basis of “apprehension of breach of peace” and were not released till Tuesday evening.

Eyewitnesses said a group of around 50-60 people approached the protest site around 3pm, outside the university’s gate number 7, shouting slogans but were apprehended by police near the sports complex and were moved towards the Sukhdev Vihar metro station before being detained.

According to students, the protesters wanted to march to the spot where students have been protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) for nearly two months now.

On December 15, a protest by students and local Jamia residents against the new Citizenship law turned violent after which police fired tear gas shells and lathicharged. Since that day, there have been many such protests across the city.

Seraj Ali, a second-year postgraduate student, who was present at the spot on Tuesday, said, “It is interesting that the same police which was brutal while controlling our protests, was merely walking away the protesters even as they called for “shooting the traitors”. This seemed unreal because if Jamia students were to engage in similar protests, the repercussion would have been lathicharge as is evident from the past incidents.”

The incident comes a day after two unidentified persons opened fire near the protest site. Though no person was injured, the incident triggered panic in the area as it came close on the heels of similar shooting incidents in Shaheen

Bagh and Jamia, wherein a student was also injured.

“Their rally was nothing like our protests, which have been peaceful. It looked like they had come to pick up a fight,” said Shahzaib Naik, another student who was present at the spot on Tuesday.

Police said they stopped the pro-caa supporters by placing barricades and preventing them from marching towards the varsity, where different groups of students are protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Earlier in the day, a similar group had gathered at Shaheen Bagh too but dispersed later.