21 January,2020 07:20 AM IST | Mumbai | Gaurav Sarkar
Bandra locals protest against CAA, NRC and NPR at Patwardhan Garden, in Bandra on Monday. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar
The first day of the week showed no signs of the anti-CAA movement slowing down, as simultaneous acts of dissent against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA)- National Register of Citizens (NRC)-National Population Register (NPR) were held at multiple locations across Mumbai.
On Monday, the first protests began outside the Bombay HC where a group of around 50 lawyers, including senior counsels Navroze Seervai, Mihir Desai, and Gayatri Singh recited the preamble of the Constitution. The lawyers said that the fact that CAA provides citizenship to refugees belonging to six religious communities - but not Muslims is 'constitutionally wrong' and that no one can divide the country on the basis of religion.
Later in the day, a massive public gathering was held at Saki Naka, to peacefully protest against the CAA-NRC-NPR. According to the organisers, around 2,000 people turned up for the event. This was followed by an 'awareness program' at Patwardhan Park in Bandra West, under the leadership of Bandra activist Aftab Siddique and a few others.
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The program took place at 6 pm under heavy police scrutiny, with the number of cops and the protesters being the same, if not more.
The event also had a signature campaign, the results of which the organisers are planning to take to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, asking him to not implement the CAA-NRC-NPR.
However, cops asked the organisers to remove the tables meant for the campaign as they blocked the pathway for joggers and walkers.
"Every person who has signed the form has also been stamped on their hand," Siddique said. "This is because if anyone tries to create any unwanted incident, we and the police can easily recognise if the person is an outsider or one of us," she said.
"Today we are only creating awareness and explaining what the intricacies of the CAA-NRC-NPR are. Another protest will be held next week," she said.
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