Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests likely to continue in Delhi on Friday, 2 metro stations shut due to security reasons

On Thursday, at least three people died, several got injured and hundreds were detained after massive protests erupted across the country against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Protesters from a wide social and political spectrum joined forces as protest marches and meets were organised at many places.

New Delhi: A day after violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rocked the nation, sources said that two simultaneous movements are likely to take place in Delhi on Friday, too. A march from Jama Masjid to Jantar Mantar is planned in the afternoon and another in the evening till India Gate. 

Due to security reasons, two metro stations - Jamia Millia Islamia and Jasola Vihar Shaheen Bagh - have, meanwhile, been shut. 

On Thursday, at least three people died, several got injured and hundreds were detained after massive protests erupted across the country against the CAA. Protesters from a wide social and political spectrum joined forces as protest marches and meets were organised at many places. 

Almost all the major cities - Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow, Patna, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai and Hyderabad - saw protesters taking to the streets despite substantial police presence and the imposition of prohibitory orders at several places. 

In Delhi, protesters gathered in large numbers at various places like the Red Fort, Mandi House and Jantar Mantar. Police forces deployed in large numbers kept the protests under control. A number of metro rail stations were shut as a precautionary measure, too.

In order to contain rumours and maintain law and order, Delhi Police directed the social media platforms to block as many as 60 accounts for allegedly sharing fake news. According to the police, these accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram had posted unverified news that was later shared in close media groups like WhatsApp.

Some of the worst protest-related violence took place in Uttar Pradesh, where media persons were attacked and OB vans were razed in state capital Lucknow. Similar acts of violence and arson were reported from Sambhal. 

Huge protests have been organised in India since the Parliament passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill two weeks ago. The agitation started from the northeast, particularly Assam and later hit different states. The Bill became an Act after President Ram Nath Kovind's nod. 

The Citizenship Amendment Act seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and came to India on or before December 31, 2014.