Kerala: 30 outfits hold protest against CAA, 233 arrested across state

As many as 30 organisations in Kerala under the umbrella of the Joint Action Committee held a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 across the state.  According to police, at least 233 preventive arrests were made till 11 am on Tuesday. While 55 people were detained from Ernakulam, police have taken as many as 51 people from Thrissur, 35 from Idukki, 21 from Palakkad, 13 from Kannur, 12 from Kottayam and eight from Wayanad into preventive custody.

Security has been heightened up in Kerala as the protests against the Central government and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act intensified in the state. Protestors, who kicked off their protest march from the Attakulangara area, moved towards the office of Accountant General (AG), where police blocked the protestors using barricades and fired water cannons at them. 

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Moreover, several protestors pelted stones at Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses in Wayanad, Thiruvananthapuram, Changanassery, Kollam, Kothamangalam, and Thampanoor. Demonstrators have also blocked roads in Palakkad.

'Illegal hartal'

The protestors have halted at the Secretariat where tight security has been deployed to maintain law and order. Moreover, MG road near Secretariat has also been blocked by the police. Earlier on Monday, Kerala police had said the hartal was illegal and strict action would be taken against those trying to enforce it. 

Speaking to the media Kerala Director General of Police (DGP) Lokanath Behera said; "According to a Kerala High Court directive, notice has to be issued seven days prior to a strike. This has not been followed. Since hartal is illegal, police have also issued a notice to the outfits who gave the call. If they go ahead, legal action will be taken."

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The Citizenship Amendment Act 

The Act seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. This will be applicable to the members of these communities having arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Moreover, they will not be considered as illegal migrants. Additionally, the mandatory residence period for naturalised citizenship for these communities would be reduced to 5 years. 

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(with ANI inputs)