Uttar Pradesh: SP leaders hold protest outside Assembly in Lucknow, target govt over CAA

Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders on Tuesday staged a protest outside Uttar Pradesh Assembly in Lucknow over various issues including Citizenship (Amendment) Act, law and order situation, and crimes against women in Uttar Pradesh.

Targeting the BJP-led government over matters of unemployment, inflation, and problems faced by farmers in the state, the SP leaders held a sit-in protest before the proceedings of the House began on Tuesday morning.

A leader from the Samajwadi Party told the media, "The law and order situation all across the state is not in good shape. Women aren't safe here. In Uttar Pradesh, problems of sugarcane, paddy, and potato farmers are not addressed. The government is completely ignorant of all these issues."

Watch: SP Leader Javed Ali Khan Slams BJP Over Jamia Millia Violence

Speaking over the police action in Jamia which caused a storm in the country, he alleged that the government had ordered the police to silence the agitating students through violence. 

"The way the police had misused its power to silence the voices of student protestors in Delhi is not justifiable. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 is unconstitutional and the democracy is in great danger," the leader added. 

Citizenship Amendment Act

The contentious Act seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities facing persecution on the basis of religious, residing in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. From the time the Bill has received presidential assent and became an Act, there have been violent protests opposing it in several parts of the country.

Watch: Major Standoff At Nadwa College In Lucknow, Cops Try To Seal Gate

Section 144 imposed in UP

Uttar Pradesh government has imposed Section 144 in Rampur after a protest was launched in the region without seeking prior permission. More than 220 people assembled at Star Chowk on Tuesday morning to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. More than 12 people have been booked under Section 143, 188 and 341 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). 

Section 144 has so far been imposed in multiple regions in Uttar Pradesh such as - Aligarh, Mau, Prayagraj, Hajipura Chowk area. The Internet has been suspended in Sambhal, Meerut, Aligarh, amongst other places. 

Also Read: Uttar Pradesh Government Imposes Section 144 In Rampur

(With inputs from ANI)