Thousands Protest At Mumbai's Iconic Azad Maidan Against Citizenship Law CAA, NRC, NPR

Thousands of people, including a large number of women, on Saturday protested against the contentious citizenship law CAA, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR) at Mumbai's iconic Azad Maidan amid recitation of Urdu poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz's popular poem "Hum Dekhenge" and slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

The "maha-morcha" protest was organised by the Maharashtra chapter of the ''National Alliance Against the Citizenship Amendment Act, the proposed National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register".

The participants came to Azad Maidan from various parts of Mumbai and the extended suburbs like Navi Mumbai, Thane as well as other parts of Maharashtra.

Waving the tricolour and holding banners denouncing the CAA-NRC-NPR in their hands, the protesters raised slogans like "Modi, Shah se Azadi" (freedom from PM Modi and Amit Shah) and "freedom from the CAA and the NRC".

The protesters resolved against showing any documents (during the NPR exercise or otherwise), saying that they are citizens of India since time immemorial.

Resolutions against CAA, NRC, NPR were also passed on the occasion.

They demanded that the new citizenship law be repealed in the current Parliament session.

At the stage at Azad Maidan, speakers recited noted Urdu poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz's famous Urdu poem "Hum Dekhenge" (We will see), which has of late emerged as a kind of anthem for the anti-CAA protests in the country.

Women protesters raised slogans like "Hum betiyan hain Jhanshi ki rani ki aur Mata Jijau ki."

Convener of the protest, Justice (retired) Kolse Patil, social activist Teesta Setalvad, actor Sushant Singh, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi etc. were present on the occasion.