Lucknow, Protests against the citizenship laws are continuing in six cities in Uttar Pradesh even as the police have succeeded in forcing protesters to call off their agitation in some districts.
In some cities, including Lucknow, protests are being held on multiple locations.
Lucknow, for instance, is witnessing a major protest against the citizenship laws at the historic Clock Tower. The protests began on January 17.
Taking inspiration from Shaheen Bagh, the women here take turns to sit on protest and ensure that the number of protesters does not shrink at any given time.
On Friday, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Pulwama attack, the protesters paid homage to the martyrs and observed a two minute silence.
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, the protesters have arranged for a ‘mushaira’ at the protest site in the evening.
In Ujariagaon village in Gomti Nagar area in Lucknow, another set of women have been sitting on protest since the past two weeks.
“We are continuing our protest against the CAA and have no intentions of calling it off. Our numbers are growing and we will continue to protest till the government agrees to withdraw the citizenship laws,” said Saira, a homemaker who has been at the protest site since the past one week.
Hindus and Sikhs are holding ‘langars’ at both the places in Lucknow, providing food to the protesters.
Satinderjit Singh, a Sikh businessman, said, “We may not be able to sit on protest because we have our business to take care of but the least we can do is to ensure that the women here get food on time.”
In Prayagraj, protests are continuing at the Mansoor Ali Park in Roshan Bagh where a large number of women and men are participating. The protesters agreed to cooperate with the local administration during the main bathing days of the Magh Mela but refused to shift or call off their protest.
In Aligarh, protests are continuing at two places — Aligarh Muslim University and Shahjamal Eidgah. The protests have been continuing since December 13.
It has been a fortnight since protests began in Moradabad at the Eidgah ground and the number are swelling by the day.
Kanpur has also been a witness to anti-CAA protest since the past one month. Attempts made by the police to clear the protest site at Chamanganj area led to considerable tension in the communally sensitive city last week and it was finally decided to allow the protests to continue.
In Deoband in Saharanpur, the protests are continuing since the past 11 days. The protest site is the Eidgah ground.
Protests have also been held in districts like Rae Bareli, Azamgarh, Varanasi, Etawah but the police managed to drive away protesters before the numbers could increase.
Police action on anti-CAA protesters in Azamgarh has already turned into a political controversy with Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi meeting the victims of police action on Wednesday.
