Police deployed in Bengaluru to thwart protests against CAA

About 500 baton-wielding police personnel have been deployed at Town Hall in Bengaluru central to prevent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and prevent untoward incidents, police said on Thursday.

"As a three-day ban on assembling of more than four persons in public places is in force since 6.00 a.m., and protest rallies or sit-in demonstrations are not allowed, we have stepped up security at the Town Hall, Mysore Bank circle and Freedom Park in the city centre to prevent any untoward incident and maintain peace," Deputy Commissioner of Police (central) Chetan Singh told IANS here.

A consortium of Left wing, Muslim organisations and college students' associations in the state have joined the day-long all-India shutdown (Bharat bandh) to protest against the CAA and the NRC (National Register of Citizens) and were asking for repealing both as they were discriminatory and draconian.

On Wednesday night, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao imposed the ban order under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) from Thursday to Saturday as a precautionary measure following the shutdown call by various organisations.

"Normal life remains unaffected across the city and its business as usual. We have placed additional forces at sensitive areas and crowded places like railway stations, city bus complexes, inter-state bus terminus, markets, malls, colleges and university campus," Singh said.

As the police have received reports of proposed pro and anti-CAA rallies, Rao said the ban would prevent holding them and thwart any possible clashes.

Section 144 has also been clamped in other parts of Karnataka, with additional deployment of police personnel in cities and towns across the southern state to maintain law and order.

"We have advised the people not to join or participate in any protest march or demonstration so as to maintain peace and prevent untoward incidents. Strict action will be taken under section 198 of the IPC if damage is caused to public property or violent attack on any citizen," state Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order) A.K. Pandey here.

According to reports from across the state, normal life remained unaffected in many towns and cities, with schools, colleges, shops, eateries and offices functioning and public transport (buses) playing.

The CAA grants Indian citizenship to persecuted religious minorities, like Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from the neighbouring Muslim-majority countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.