Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi has condemned the Centre over the 'violent' crackdown of protestors demanding withdrawal of the Citizenship Amendment Act. "The Congress stands with the people of this country," she said in a televised appeal on Friday evening.
The Congress veteran said that the government was employing 'brute force' to suppress the dissenting voices in the country.
She hit out at the Centre for suppressing the voice of students and all the other protestors who are agitating against the Citizenship Amendment Act across the country. Linking the CAA to the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), she said that people would have to stand in queues just to prove their citizenship if the NRC plan was implemented.
Gandhi said that Congress stood with the dissenters in their fight against the Citizenship Act. "The Congress is fully committed to protect the rights of the people of the country," she said.
The statement by the Congress President came as a demonstration against the legislation turned violent in Daryaganj in Delhi's old quarters. Protestors pelted stones at the police and torched a vehicle at the Daryaganj police station, following which police deployed water cannons to control the surging crowds.
Jama Masjid was the epicentre of Friday's protests in Delhi, with protestors staging a demonstration after the prayers. The protest at Jama Masjid was led by Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, who was briefly detained by police before being released. Tense scenes were also witnessed in Jafrabad in the north-east district, where police had a showdown with the protestors.
Violence was also reported from other parts of the country, particularly Uttar Pradesh where at least one person was left dead in police action in the Firozabad district. Protests also turned unruly in Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Bulandshahr and Bahraich.
