Citizenship law: Scores held in Delhi, Bengaluru

Scores were detained in Bengaluru and Delhi including eminent historian Ramachandra Guha for staging agitation against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC in defiance of prohibitory orders imposed in the two cities.

Delhi Police detained agitators near the historic Red Fort when they tried to take out a protest march.

Swarajya Abhiyan party chief Yogendra Yadav was among those detainees, our New Delhi correspondent reports quoting officials.

Braving intense early morning cold with the minimum temperature touching 5.1 degrees, protesters, including rights activists and students, tried to launch the march from the Red Fort.

However, they were dragged into police buses in a bid to clear the fort area.  Holding placards and shouting slogans against CAA and NRC, the protesters allowed themselves to be escorted to the buses.

"I know many of our mates are being detained. Despite that many have gathered here. The citizenship of this country cannot be divided and this is our protest call today," Yadav said.

Two protests are scheduled in the national capital, one by students and activists and the other by Left parties later in the day.

Reacting to his detention, Ramachandra Guha said it was "absolutely undemocratic" that police were not allowing even a peaceful protest which is the democratic right of the citizens.

The Communist Party of India too staged demonstrations in Delhi against the CAA and NRC.

Meanwhile in West Bengal, which witnessed the largest number of violent protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act till now, was peaceful today.

No fresh violence occurred in West Bengal even though more street protests are planned in a number of cities across India in the face of bar on large gatherings, reports our New Delhi correspondent. 

Stray incidents of clashes between groups supporting the amended Citizenship Act and those opposing the law were reported on Wednesday.

Five persons were injured as crude bombs were hurled at a protest march in North Dinajpur district, a police officer said.

The state had witnessed violence and arson for six days since December 13 when parliament passed the new citizenship law and more than 350 people have been arrested for their involvement in the violence.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been at the forefront in opposing the new citizenship law and the NRC, is scheduled to conduct a protest rally in Esplanade area in the heart of Kolkata this afternoon.

She has led three protest marches in Kolkata and Howrah from December 16 to 18.

The Left parties are also scheduled to hold a protest march and so are intellectuals in Kolkata. 

The CAA offers Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who moved to India by 2014. The law has been slammed by critics as "discriminatory" which challenges the foundations of India's secular constitution by making religion the criteria for citizenship.

Day-to-day life is back to normal in Assam with the state remaining peaceful after several days of violent protests against the new citizenship law with three rail stations, a post office, a bank, a bus terminus, shops, dozens of vehicles and many other public properties being set ablaze or damaged by the protesters.

Curfew imposed in Dibrugarh was relaxed for 14 hours since 6:00am today but mobile internet services remained suspended, our correspondent reports quoting officials.

The curfew imposed in Guwahati on December 11 was lifted on Tuesday following improvement in law and order, they said.

The All Assam Students' Union (AASU), which is spearheading the agitation against the amended Citizenship Act, has planned sit-ins on December 21 and 23 and rallies on December 24, 26 and 28.

Islamic outfit Popular Front of India's Assam unit chief Aminul Haque and another office bearer were arrested on Wednesday for their alleged role in the violence during protests over the citizenship law, police said.

The Assam Human Rights Commission has directed the chief secretary to constitute a high-level panel for probing deaths of five protesters in police action during protests over the amended Citizenship Act here last week.

The police in several cities have not given permission to organize protests against the CAA. Simultaneous protests are planned in more than 10 cities across the country today.

Permission for any rally was withheld in Delhi, with any gathering of four or more people banned near the Red Fort in central Delhi.

Authorities in Lucknow banned large gatherings as did Karnataka in parts of the state, including India's IT capital Bengaluru.

A rally is planned in Delhi today but the police sent a refusal letter last evening saying the request could not be "acceded to from law and order and traffic point of view".

The Delhi Traffic Police tweeted they barricaded the road that connects Delhi and satellite town of Gurgaon. The move to stop protesters from entering the national capital in large numbers led to a long traffic snarl. People going to the airport are also stuck.

The Delhi Metro said entry and exit gates at eight stations have been shut including Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Jamia Millia Islamia and Delhi University.

Two demonstrations were planned in Bengaluru but Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao said this was not permitted since there had been instances of stone-throwing that injured people and damaged property in the past.

Any gathering of four or more people is not allowed across BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh also under prohibitory order.