Spaghetti straps mingled with sherwanis as young and old from all communities came together to protest in Thane. The protesters were voicing their outrage against the Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Register of Citizens and the police brutality against protesters across the country.
Around 250 people gathered at Hazuri Dargah in Thane (West) to take part in the peaceful protest. College students, working professionals and residents, along with local and religious leaders raised slogans and displayed placards. The Wagle Estate police had imposed strict bandobast as protesters thronged the narrow lanes outside the dargah. Senior police inspector A.S. Pathan led the bandobast, issuing instructions on the loudspeakers mounted on the police SUV.
“Those who played no part in building the country are now trying to divide it. But it is in the very character of this country to stand united. I must applaud all the students gathered here. The future of this country rests on their shoulders,” Dalit leader and activist Sambhaji Bhagat said.
The protesters also included natives of Assam who registered their own protest against the ongoing situation in their State. Other groups and communities, too, participated in the protest. Placards saying ‘Save Assam Accord’ were seen alongside those saying ‘Queer Cats Against Sanghi Rats’.
The sloganeering paused for a minute only when the azaan (call for prayer) sounded from the Dargah.
Nationalist Congress Party leader Najeeb Mulla, who was at the protest, said, “If the diabolical acts are enacted, think of how you will feel when someone knocks on only your door to take a census based only on your surname. But whatever the case, we must also follow law and order. We can’t be silent, but we can’t be violent either.”
Not just people from Thane, several residents of Mumbai, too, were seen at the protest. As one placard said, “It’s so bad, I came all the way to Thane.”
