Local MP Gautam Gambhir and AAP MLA appeal for peace in Seelampur

The BJP and the AAP joined ranks to appeal to the residents of Seelampur for peace after the area witnessed violence and arson during a protest against the amended citizenship law on Tuesday.

Cricketer-turned-East Delhi BJP MP Gautam Gambhir and Seelampur AAP MLA Haji Ishraq appealed to people to maintain peace and distance themselves from violence.

"I want to appeal to people to maintain peace and distance themselves from any kind of violence. Whatever your grievances, you may peacefully discuss it with the government. Do not be misled by any political party or any person," Gambhir said.

Ishraq, the local AAP MLA, too appealed for peace and urged people to peacefully register their protest.

"I am appealing to all the people to register their protest and convey their message peacefully," Ishraq said in a video message.

Dec 17, 2019 8:31 PM

Seelampur violence: Delhi Police uses drones to monitor situation

As the violent protest erupted against the amended citizenship law in Seelampur area, the Delhi Police on Tuesday used drones to monitor the situation and identify potential trouble zones.

According to a police official, the drones took images of several areas of Seelampur area, where angry protestors demanding scrapping of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act torched several motorcycles, pelted stones at security personnel and damaged buses and a police booth.

"We monitored the situation during the protests through drones which also took the images of those involved in violence," the official said.

Images taken by the drones will play a vital role in the police investigation, he also said.

Dec 17, 2019 8:25 PM

Cops enter Madras varsity as students continue to protest

A section of the students of the Madras University continued their protest for the second day on Tuesday against the amendment to the Citizenship Act by

staying put inside the Marina campus here, as police entered the premises.

The protesters sat on the sprawling campus, which is just opposite the Marina beach, seeking withdrawal of the amendment and raised slogans against the amendment to the Citizenship Act. Police personnel, meanwhile, arrived inside the varsity's campus.

Dec 17, 2019 8:21 PM

Will take back B'deshi citizens staying in India illegally if evidence provided: Dhaka official

An advisor to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said the country will take back any citizen of the neighbouring nation staying in India

illegally, if evidence is provided.

The issue of amended Citizenship Act is an internal matter of India, Advisor to Hasina on international affairs, Gauhar Rizvi, said.

"We will take back any Bangladeshi citizen staying in India illegally. But India has to prove that," Rizvi told reporters here.

He said Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Buddhists co-exist peacefully in Bangladesh.

Dec 17, 2019 7:05 PM

Changes in citizenship law have nothing to do with NRC: Law Minister

The amended Citizenship Act has nothing to do with the proposed nation-wide National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Tuesday.

He also said that the Act does not take away the citizenship of an Indian national of any religion.

"The Citizenship (Amendment) Act has nothing to do with the NRC (CAA ka koi matlab nahin hai NRC se)," Prasad said at an Aaj Tak event.

He said when the draft of the proposed law on pan-India implementation of the NRC is prepared, it would be discussed and it will come before the people.

"There is no meaning in linking the NRC with the CAA," he said responding to a question on fears that the amended citizenship law could be the prelude to the NRC exercise and minorities may get targeted.

Responding to another question, the law minister said dialogue is the essence of democracy and those agitating against the amendments in the Act would be told that it does not hurt the interests of Indian citizens, including those from the minority communities.

"I appeal for peace to those who are protesting. But we can't make those understand who jump into any issue just to criticise (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji... Leftists, Maoists have to criticise Modi come what may," Prasad said.

Dec 17, 2019 6:57 PM

Linking Citizenship bill with NRC most unfortunate, says Rajiv Kumar

Niti Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday termed the linking of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) with the NRC (National Register of Citizens) as the 'most unfortunate' which is aimed at creating fear among the people.

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) seeks to provide citizenship on preferential basis to members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have entered India till December 31, 2014 following religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

"It is most unfortunate that there has been a conscious & organised effort by some to connect the #CAA with #NRC at a future date. This has been done to create fear & vulnerability among the people. This is eminently avoidable. #CitizenshipAmendmentAct #CitizenshipAmendmentBill," Kumar said in a tweet.

Dec 17, 2019 6:54 PM

Stalin dubs CAA autocratic, says it "tramples" Muslims' rights

Sharpening its attack on the Narendra Modi government over the Citizenship Amendment Act, the DMK on Tuesday alleged the Centre's objective was not

India's progress but 'trampling' the rights of Muslims.

DMK President M K Stalin called the act "hasty and autocratic" and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not fulfilling his electoral promises such as doubling farmers' income and two crore jobs per year and instead implementing measures that were 'detrimental' to the country.

Addressing a protest meeting in this temple town, about 50 km from Chennai, Stalin, also the leader of opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, listed out abrogation of Article 370, which "stifled democracy in Kashmir," and bringing a law against triple talaq.

Dec 17, 2019 6:44 PM

Arundhati Roy, Devdutt Pattanaik, Ramachandra Guha among writers to speak out against CAA

Joining the chorus against the amended citizenship law, a number of Indian writers, including Arundhati Roy, Devdutt Pattanaik and Ramachandra Guha, claimed the "anti-India" legislation is set to "break the back of our Constitution".

Some of the writers, including Pattanaik, also criticised the police crackdown against students protesting against the law in Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University.

Amidst protests across the country, writer-activist Roy compared the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) with the "1935 Nuremberg Laws of the Third Reich" and appealed to people to "stand up".

Dec 17, 2019 6:19 PM

AAP, its Seelampur MLA urge locals to register protest peacefully

The AAP and its Seelampur MLA Haji Ishraq appealed to the people to register their protest peacefully after the area witnessed violence on Tuesday during a protest against the amended Citizenship Act.

Angry protesters demanding to scrap of the amended citizenship law torched several motorbikes, pelted stones at police and damaged public buses in Northeast Delhi's Seelampur area in fresh violence in the national capital over the citizenship amended act.

Police resorted to baton charges and fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. The situation is volatile and tense but under full control, said a senior police officer.

"I am appealing all the people to register a protest and convey their message peacefully," Ishraq said in a video message.

He urged local locals and youngsters not to venture out on the main roads of the area to register their protest.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also appealed to Delhiites to maintain peace, saying violence cannot be tolerated in a civilised society.

The Aam Aadmi Party also appealed to the people to not indulge in any violence and hold demonstrations peacefully. Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said people should maintain peace and protest peacefully.

Dec 17, 2019 6:10 PM

All entry, exit gates at Seelampur metro station open

All entry and exit gates at Seelampur metro station, which were closed in view of violence that ensued following protests over the amended Citizenship Act on Tuesday, were opened.

"All entry & exit gates of Seelampur are open," the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) tweeted.

Entry and exit gates at seven metro stations in northeast Delhi were closed on Tuesday in view of the violent protest against the amended citizenship law in the Seelampur area.

Dec 17, 2019 5:12 PM

Modi govt will ensure that non-Muslim refugees live as Indians with honour: Shah

Notwithstanding opposition to the amended Citizenship Act, Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asserted the Modi government will ensure that non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan get Indian nationality and live in the country with honour.

hah also challenged the people, who are against the new law, to oppose the legislation as much as they can.

"Come what may, the Modi government will ensure that these refugees get Indian citizenship and live as Indians with honour," he said at an event in New Delhi.

Dec 17, 2019 5:11 PM

Five students held for graffiti against Citizenship Act

Five students of the Maharaja Sayajirao University here were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly making objectionable graffiti, which included the word 'Modi', to protest the new Citizenship Act, police said.

The students, from the university's Fine Arts faculty, made the 'swastika' sign with black spray colour in place of 'o' in the word 'Modi', a police official said. Search was underway for two other students, who were absconding, he said.

Dec 17, 2019 5:10 PM

Opposition leaders meet President over police action in Jamia

Leaders of some opposition parties led by Congress president Sonia Gandhi have met President Ram Nath Kovind over the police action in Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi.

The opposition has demanded a judicial probe into Sunday's police action against Jamia students.

The opposition leaders had on Monday said they would lodge their protest with the president against the government over the police action and the amendments to the citizenship law.

Dec 17, 2019 5:03 PM

Fresh protest in Delhi's Seelampur over CAA##Fresh protest in Delhi's Seelampur over CAA

Fresh Protests have erupted in North East Delhi, Seelampur area on Tuesday afternoon against the Citizenship Amendment Act. As per reports, stones were pelted by the protesters and many buses of DTC have been damaged. Locals say that police have resorted to lathi-charge and used tear gas shells against the protesters. The protests have been organised to show solidarity with Jamia Students and against the CAA which is the latest flash point in the country. Police officials said the situation is under control in the area. However, it is not clear which organisation was behind the protest. Reports said that some people have been injured in the clashes between the police and the protesters.

Dec 17, 2019 3:35 PM

DMRC: Entry & exit gates of Welcome, Jaffrabad and Maujpur-Babarpur, Seelampur and Gokulpuri are closed##DMRC: Entry & exit gates of Welcome, Jaffrabad and Maujpur-Babarpur, Seelampur and Gokulpuri are closed

Dec 17, 2019 3:31 PM

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