Hundreds Gather At Delhi's Jama Masjid In Protest Against Citizenship Law

Hundreds of people have gathered outside the Jama Masjid in the old quarter of Delhi to protest against citizenship law. Delhi Police has made elaborate arrangements to check and deal with any untoward situation in the national capital and large gatherings have been banned in several sensitive areas of the city.

Flag marches were conducted in some areas of northeast Delhi and heavy police force was deployed in parts of the city ahead of Friday prayers and protests calls by some organisations against the amended citizenship act, police said.

Congress leader Alka Lamba and former Delhi MLA Shoaib Iqbal were among those who joined the demonstrations outside Jama Masjid. Ms Lamba hit out at the BJP government saying "unemployment is the real issue in the county, but you are trying to put people in a queue for NRC(National Register of Citizens), as it was done during demonetisation".

Large gatherings have been banned in several parts of Delhi, including near Uttar Pradesh Bhawan, Seelampur and Jaffrabad in northeast Delhi. Police personnel have been deployed and barricades placed outside the UP Bhawan where a protest has been planned by students of the Jamia Millia Islamia against the "Police Raj of UP Police".

Massive protests, led by Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, were seen near Jama Masjid last Friday too. Delhi Police had denied permission to his protest march against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act from Jama Masjid to Jantar Mantar in the heart of the city.

The protests turned violent in the evening and at least 36 people, including eight policemen were injured. Chandrashekhar Azad, who had escaped police custody during the day, was arrested early Sunday morning.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act for the first time makes religion the test of citizenship in India. The government says it will help minorities from three Muslim-dominated countries to get citizenship if they fled to India because of religious persecution. Critics say it is designed to discriminate against Muslims and violates the secular principles of the constitution.