'Hum Bharat Ke Log', a collective of citizen groups in Bengaluru, had sought the necessary permission to hold a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The protest was scheduled for 12 pm on Friday at Town Hall. However, on Thursday evening, the protesters were told by the Bengaluru police to postpone their protest by two hours. Incidentally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a two-day visit to Karnataka, is scheduled to leave Bengaluru at noon on Friday.
According to the organisers, a police personnel will be deployed as part of the PM's departure from Bengaluru. "We have been informed that the permission will now only be given from 2 pm to 4 pm, which is subsequent to Modi leaving. This is a clear indication of the fear that the state has to face the dissent and resistance of its people,” an organiser of the protest said.
“We have decided to reschedule our protest to 2 pm. We will keep in mind the fact that our unity and strength is being recognised by the state, which is being forced to resort to coercive measures to suppress our voices,” the organiser added.
The protest on Friday has been planned to honour Savitribai Phule, the social reformer and poet, on her birth anniversary. “Our intention is, and has always been, to peacefully protest against the unconstitutional actions of the state, keeping in mind Savitribai Phule, whose contribution has helped mould today's India," the organiser added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Karnataka for a two-day visit on Thursday. He addressed a gathering at the Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru on Thursday. He is set to inaugurate the Indian Science Congress at Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra (University of Agricultural Sciences) on Friday.
Bengaluru has been witnessing numerous anti-CAA protests since December 14, with fresh protests planned for Sunday.
Meanwhile, as anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters took a break on Thursday, students belonging to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) — the student wing of RSS — took out a rally in Bengaluru in support of the controversial citizenship law on Thursday, when as the PM was in Tumukuru.
Over 1,500 students from colleges in and around Malleswaram took to the streets, shouting slogans like "nation power, ABVP Zindabad", in support of CAA. The rally started from the 18th Cross Corporation Playground.
Harsha Narayan, national secretary of ABVP and the organiser of the rally, said that those who took part in the rally wanted to spread awareness about the Act and “tell that it is a good law”.