Citizenship Act Protests: There have been protests over past few days in several parts of the country.
The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the centre asking it to respond to the more than 60 petitions challenging the validity of the controversial new citizenship law. In a brief hearing this morning a three-judge top court bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde declined to stay implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, saying "we will have to see whether the Act has to be stayed" and set January 22 as the next date of hearing in this matter.
On Tuesday, A school bus was damaged and a police booth was set on fire as clashes erupted at Seelampur in Delhi during a protest against the Citizenship Act. The police used batons and fired tear gas shells as some 2,000 protesters threw stones and set fire to vehicles. According to a senior police officer, the protest began around 1 pm, when school buses were on the roads taking children home. People from the area gathered at a prominent crossing for a protest march from Seelampur towards Jafrabad. Sources say trouble broke out when the crowd showed up a little early and was asked to disperse.
The citizenship law facilitates Indian citizenship for non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who entered India before 2014.
Here are the live updates on developments on Citizenship Amendment Act:
In one of her strongest attacks on the BJP, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned if the party was a "washing machine" -- the only one that can legitimise citizenship. The Bengal Chief Minister has refused to implement the Centre's new citizenship law and the National Registry of Citizens, which she said today were "two sides of the same lollipop". On the third straight day of her protest against the new law, she questioned why the BJP was now demanding birth certificates, and said, "The cat is out of the bag".
Will implement Citizenship Act in Karnataka: BS Yediyurappa
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday said the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be implemented in Karnataka. His comments came at a time when several states, like West Bengal and Punjab, are refusing to implement the amended law amid protests against it. "We will implement the Citizenship Amendment Act in Karnataka," Yediyurappa told reporters. The Chief Minister also said that his government had no plans to change the name of the Indira canteens in the state, amidst rumours that it was planning to rename them to ''Maharshi Valmiki Anna Kutira''. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a PIL seeking setting up of a fact- finding committee to look into the violence at Jamia Millia Islamia University following protests over the amended Citizenship Act. The petition was mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Rekha Palli by advocate Rizwan and the court allowed it to be listed on Thursday. The petition by Rizwan alleges that Delhi Police "resorted to use of arbitrary, excessive, discriminatory and illegal force against students, more particularly female students, of Jamia Millia Islamia University, on the false pretext of restoring law and order".
Delhi Traffic Police advisory for people commuting from Noida to Delhi
Amid the ongoing protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 in capital, the Delhi Traffic police on Tuesday blocked road no 13A between Mathura Road and Kalindi Kunj. The officials have advised people coming from Noida to take DND flyover or Akshardham to commute to Delhi. "Road No 13A between Mathura Road and Kalindi Kunj is closed for traffic movement due to demonstration. People coming from Noida are advised to take DND or Akshardham to reach Delhi," tweeted Delhi Traffic Police in the morning today.
Supreme Court notice to government on Citizenship (Amendment) Act, will take up petitions challenging validity on January 22.
Police Patrolling in Seelampur
Delhi Police carried out patrolling in Seelampur area of the city earlier this morning.
Normalcy returned in Guwahati while the curfew imposed in Dibrugarh was relaxed for 14 hours since 6 am on Wednesday. The curfew imposed in Guwahati, the gateway to the Northeast, on December 11 in the wake of protests against the citizenship law was lifted on Tuesday following improvement in law and order, officials said. No fresh incidents of violence have been reported in Assam on Wednesday morning.
A Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) parliamentary delegation leaves from the Parliament to meet President Ram Nath Kovind over Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Delhi.
6 people have been arrested after a day violent protest in east Delhi's Seelampur, Jaffrabad over Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
Okhla underpass and a portion of Mathura Road were closed for traffic movement today morning, the Delhi Traffic Police said. Sources said that the traffic was closed owing to the planned protest by Jamia students against Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
DMRC reopens entry, exit gates of all metro stations
All the entry and exit gates of all stations have been opened after being shut for security reasons following the ongoing protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 in the area. "Entry and exit gates at all stations have been opened. Normal services have resumed in all stations," Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said in a tweet. Earlier in the day, DMRC closed the entry and exit gates of Jaffrabad and Maujpur - Babarpur metro stations. The newly-enacted Act grants citizenship to non-Muslim refugees of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who fled religious persecution and arrived in India until December 31, 2014.
BSP parliamentary delegation to meet President Kovind
A Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) parliamentary delegation will meet President Ram Nath Kovind over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on Wednesday. The delegation will assemble at Parliament first following which it will proceed to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to meet the President at 10:30 am. The development comes a day after leaders from opposition parties, including Congress, met the President and urged him to advise the government to immediately withdraw the citizenship law, and form a commission of inquiry to ensure that those responsible for violence during protests "in whatever form" are brought to book.
Police Enter Madras University As Students Protest Over Citizenship Act
A protest against the new citizenship law at the University of Madras was interrupted as the police entered the campus on Tuesday evening. The students, who have been holding agitation for the last two days over the new law and the police crackdown on the students of Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi, were deciding on their next course of action when the police came. The university has announced holidays till December 23. The trigger was the detention of two students by the Chennai police. A senior officer told NDTV, "The students instigated protests, tried to bring in outsiders and roughed up the police.
3 Jamia Students Named In Police Case For Sunday's Violence In Delhi
Three students of Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia University have been named in the First Information Report filed on Sunday's violence during the protest march against the centre's new citizenship law. Ten people have so far been arrested for the violence on Sunday evening that set off a chain of protests in campuses across the country. All of them have are in judicial custody. No Jamia student is on that list.
Will not allow implementation of the citizenship law
Three Chief Ministers -- Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan and Punjab's Amarinder Singh -- have declared that they would not allow the implementation of the citizenship law and the national registry of citizens in their states.
Protest march by Jamia students on Sunday
In Delhi, a protest march by the Jamia students had gone out of hand and ended in violence on Sunday. Stones were thrown at the police when they tried to stop the march, buses and two-wheelers were burnt. The subsequent police action at the university - barging in without permission and detaining students -- had triggered protests in campuses across the country.
The Citizenship Amendment Act is meant to expedite citizenship for non-Muslims from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who moved to India till 2014 after facing religious persecution in their home countries.
Entry, exit gates of Jaffrabad and Maujpur - Babarpur stations are closed: DMRC
The entry and exit gates of Jaffrabad and Maujpur - Babarpur stations were closed on Wednesday for security reasons following the ongoing protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. "Entry and exit gates of Jaffrabad and Maujpur - Babarpur stations are closed. However, interchange facility to continue towards Shiv Vihar is available at Maujpur. Normal service on all other stations and lines," the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in a tweet said. The newly-enacted Act grants citizenship to non-Muslim refugees of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who fled religious persecution and arrived in India until December 31, 2014.
Supreme Court to hear petitions challenging Citizenship Act
Around 60 petitions challenging the Centre's new Citizenship law - which has created a storm since being passed last week -- will be taken up by the Supreme Court today. Among those who filed the petitions are senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, the Indian Union Muslim League and Asom Gana Parishad, an ally of the ruling BJP in Assam.