Mumbai: Several lawyers gathered outside the
Bombay High Court on Monday afternoon and read out the
Preamble of the
Constitution of India.
The lawyers came together in a bid to protest against the Centre's controversial legislation, the
Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Over 50 lawyers, including senior counsels
Navroze Seervai,
Gayatri Singh and
Mihir Desai, read out the Preamble outside Gate No 6 in unison and said that no one can divide the country and its citizens on the basis of religion.
The lawyers said that the CAA seeks to provide citizenship to refugees belonging to six religious communities -- Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, and Jain -- but leaves out Muslims, which is constitutionally wrong.
Several protests have been taking place all over the country ever since the Citizenship Amendment Bill was introduced last year. Amid the incessant protests, the Parliament and the President of India Ram Nath Kovind gave their assent and the Citizenship Amendment Act came into effect sparking a fresh row of protests.
Indiscriminate violence has taken place in the country over the last few days with people supporting and opposing the Act constantly clashing with each other and security forces.
Mobile network and internet services had been suspended in a number of cities including the national capital for a brief period.
Violence also broke out in colleges and universities like Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University where both students and faculty members suffered injuries during the protests.
Photos: Mumbai stands united against CAA, NRC
Mumbaikars take to the streets
On Sunday, hundreds of Mumbaikars took to the streets to voice their thoughts against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Residents of Dharavi, Chembur, Marol, Mira Road, Malad, Malvani, Jogeshwari, Thane, and Panvel raised slogans, rejecting what they called divisive decisions of the Central government. Photo courtesy: Akanksha Mankar
Mumbaikars protest against Citizenship Amendment Act
Thousands of Mumbaikars gathered at the August Kranti Maidan on Thursday evening to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register for Citizens (NRC) and the unprecedented violence on students at Jamia Millia Islamia. Bollywood celebrities including Farhan Akhtar and Swara Bhasker are also likely to participate in the protest. Photo by Deepak Turbhekar/BCCL
Message for the CM
A man stood near the August Kranti Maidan with a poster reading, "Uddhav Ji, thank you for your voice and support against India being divided." Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday hit out at the Centre over the CAA and asked how and where the government is intending to settle Hindu immigrants in the country. Shiv Sena had staged a walkout during voting on the Citizen Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha, saying the party's queries on the bill were not answered. Photo by Deepak Turbhekar/BCCL
Tight security arrangements
The Mumbai Police have deployed a large number of police and armed personnel in full gear. CCTV and drone cameras have been installed in the area to avoid any untoward incident. Traffic diversions have also been made keeping in mind the protests. The traffic police has provided parking facility for those joining the protest. The parking areas include the roads along Shastri Hall to Bhatia Hospital, Warden Road to court to Bhagwan Parshawanath Chowk, and Javiji Chowk area.
United we stand
People from all walks of life gathered at the venue irrespective of their age, gender, religion and culture. They raised slogans of "Aazaadi" as they walked towards the August Kranti Maidan in huge numbers. Students, youth, political and social activists, senior citizens, everyone marked their presence in the protest. Photo by Deepak Turbhekar/BCCL
Farhan Akhtar participates in the protest
Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar was spotted at the August Kranti Maidan on Thursday protesting against the CAA and NRC. He had earlier posted on Twitter, "See you on the 19th at August Kranti Maidan, Mumbai. The time to protest on social media alone is over. (sic)" He had also condemned the unprecedented violence in Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University. Photo by Sanjay Hadkar/BCCL
Anti-CAA protest swells in Mumbai
Number of protestors marching towards the August Kranti Maidan kept on increasing as more and more people participated in the protest. They raised slogans and carried placards that read, "No CAB, No NRC", "We are all Indians" and "The State should not deny a person's equality before law". Photo by Deepak Turbhekar/BCCL
Creativity at its best
Students turned up with really creative placards and posters at the protest. Clever one-liners and interactive posters were one of the highlights of the event. The posters mirrored the sentiments of the thousands of people present there.
Huma Qureshi protests against CAA
Huma Qureshi posed with a young girl at the protest and wrote, "Met this little protestor at August Kranti Maidan. The voice of people is loud and clear #NoViolenceButNoSilence Thank you @MumbaiPolice for doing a great job at helping in organise a peaceful protest. Jai Maharashtra! Jai Hind ! (sic)"
Sushant Singh at August Kranti Maidan
Sushant Singh, who became a household name with his stint on Savdhaan India, was seen at August Kranti Maidan as he actively participated in the anti-CAA protest. Earlier, hours after he had posted a tweet condemning CAA and the Jamia violence, he announced that his "stint with Savdhaan India has ended". When someone asked if it was a price he paid for speaking against the authorities, he replied, “A very small price my friend."
'Mumbai rejects CAB and NRC'
People kept adding up to the protest at August Kranti Maidan and raised their voices against the Act with unmatched fervour. A protestor raised a placard of "Mumbai rejects CAB and NRC" as she shouted slogans along with the many others gathered there. Another poster which hung on the railing read, "Kill the Bill".
Sahil Shah attends the protest
Comedian Sahil Shah also participated in the protest. About CAA and NRC, he said, "I disapprove of it and I was very vocal about it on social media platforms. I am glad that a lot more people are vocal about it. This has been a very well organised protest and I am very happy to see so many people. It takes guts to stand and chant continuously and everyone was chanting with her too."
'India against CAA'
Youngsters walked with posters carrying anti-CAA slogans. One poster had "India against CAA, Hindus against CAA" written over it. Another poster read, "Don't love us only for Biryani."
It keeps getting bigger
Even after more than three hours of constant chanting and raising slogans, people did not give up and the crowd only swelled up with time. The road outside Grant Road station, which is the nearest to August Kranti Maidan, saw people standing with banners and placards for hours without getting tired.
