The protesters plan to march from Delhi's Mandi House to Jantar Mantar
Large gatherings have been banned in central Delhi's Mandi House near the high-security Lutyens' Zone today as students came out to protest against the amended citizenship law and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
"The Prime Minister said there are no detention centres in India. But we all know and it has been reported widely work on such centres have started," Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav said.
Surrounded by protesters holding placards of Mahatma Gandhi and other freedom fighters, Mr Yadav shouted slogans against Home Minister Amit Shah too. "The PM is contradicting what the Home Minister said about the NRC," Mr Yadav said.
The group marched from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar, though the Delhi Police said they have denied permission.
Swaraj India's Yogendra Yadav at the protest against the citizenship law in Delhi's Mandi House
Today's protest comes over a week after a police crackdown on students of Jamia Millia Islamia University after violence at a march against the new citizenship law led to protests across the country.
Jamia students had distanced themselves from the mob that clashed with the police and set fire to buses and two-wheelers Students at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) also clashed with the police the same night after their solidarity walk was stopped. In several cities, including Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Varanasi, students held midnight protests.
Last week, students across the world expressed concern over the use of police force during these protests. Over 400 students from different US universities, including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Stanford and Tufts, issued a joint statement expressing solidarity with the protesters at Jamia and AMU.
Students and scholars of the Oxford University had also criticized the new citizenship law while condemning the clampdown. The law "stipulates preferential treatment to religious minorities while explicitly excluding Muslims from its purview," a statement they had put out read.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act - that cleared parliament earlier this month - makes religion the test of citizenship in India. The government says it will help minorities from three Muslim-dominated countries - Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan - 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.