In the wake of a protest in Kalaburagi opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, which has since become an Act after getting Presidential Assent, prohibitory orders under Section 144 were imposed in the district till 6 p.m. on Friday.
A group led by CPI(M) leader Maruti Manpade staged a protest outside the Commissionerate office demanding the withdrawal of Section 144 and to permit it to take out a rally from Nagareshwar School in Gunj to the Deputy Commissioner’s office in the afternoon.
The group of agitators, including Mr. Maruti Manpade, Janata Dal(S) leader Naseer Hussain Ustad, Baba Nazar Mohammad Khan, State vice-president of the Jamiat Ahle Hadees, the former KUDA chairman Mohammad Asgar Chulbul and AIMIM leader Wahaj Baba, sat in front of the Commissionerate office demanding that the district authorities withdraw the prohibitory orders and allow it to register its protest and to hold the rally in the city. After the police denied its request to take out the rally but allowed it to stage a protest at an alternative site near Muslim Chowk, people gathered to oppose the President’s assent for the Bill. The people tore a copy of the Bill and raised slogans against the BJP-led Union government for what they said dividing people on the lines of religion.
Mr. Maruti Manpade said that the district police denied permission for the rally in the last minute. “On Thursday night, the Police Commissioner gave approval for holding the rally in Kalaburagi, but then the police denied permission for it on Friday morning,” he added.
Though the five-kilometre-long rally from Gunj to Deputy Commissioner’s office was cancelled, the police allowed the group to stage the protest near the mosque at Muslim Chowk on Friday evening, as the congregation near the mosque had been exempted from the prohibitory orders under Section 144, he added.
Accusing the BJP leaders of dividing the country through the Bill, Mr. Maruti Manpade said that the very objective of the Bill is to treat non-Hindus as second-class citizens.
Police Commissioner M.N. Nagaraj said that the district administration imposed Section 144 and denied permission to the group to hold the rally to maintain law and order. However, the permission for a protest at an alternative place was approved. The group’s memorandum was received by government officials, he added.
