Citizenship law: Students, opposition leaders step up protests; SC rejects inquiry panel plea

Violent clashes broke out in the national capital on Tuesday as students, opposition leaders and activists across the country stepped up their protests against the amended citizenship law, even as the government asserted it is "firm like rock" on its implementation and the Supreme Court refused plea for an inquiry panel to probe the violence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the "Congress and its friends" of spreading lies over the new law and asked students to try and see whether they were not being made accomplices in a "conspiracy" where "urban naxals" and others were using their "shoulders to fire" to serve their own interests.

As fresh protests erupted across campuses and on streets in various regions and several opposition parties demanded withdrawal of what they called an "unconstitutional and divisive" law, Home Minister Amit Shah said there was no question of going back on its implementation and expressed confidence about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act standing legal scrutiny. "We are firm like rock on its implementation," he said in Mumbai.

Shah also said action being taken only against those engaging in vandalism and arson during protests and not against students opposing the CAA. He also directed Delhi Police to ensure peace in the national capital. According to police, at least 29 persons have been arrested for violent clashes over the last couple of days in Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and in parts of UP, while two FIRs were registered in connection with Tuesday's violence during a protest in the national capital's Seelampur and Jafrabad areas that left 21 people, including 12 policemen, injured.

Angry protesters torched motor bikes, pelted stones at police personnel and damaged buses and a police booth, while police resorted to baton charge and fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. The situation was brought under control after a stand-off that continued for about one and half hours, police officials said, while blaming the clashes to a "hidden mob" that swelled to 4,000 to 5,000 people. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, BJP's East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir and Seelampur's AAP MLA Haji Ishraq appealed to people to maintain peace and distance themselves from violence.

Braving freezing cold, thousands of people poured onto streets near JMI as well for a peaceful protest. Holding Tricolour and placards, they raised slogans like "Azaadi (freedom) from atrocities" and formed human chains, while some women-led groups took out marches in the narrow lanes of nearby residential areas. Schoolchildren held out placards reading "we want justice" as their buses drove through the area. A group of injured Jamia students also held a press conference along with some activists and alleged "barbaric" beatings, abuse and humiliation by the police during their crackdown on those protesting against the new law on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference here along with some activists, one Jamia student said he was beaten "mercilessly" when he was studying in the library along with 25 others, including 10-12 girls, while several others also alleged many were injured in the police action in Jamia as well as in UP's Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). The Supreme Court, however, declined to set up a committee of a retired apex court judge to inquire into incidents of violence in different parts of the country since Sunday and asked the petitioners to approach high courts.

Police said it has arrested 10 people with criminal background for Sunday's violence near JMI, but none of them are students. The police had on Sunday detained around 50 students, who were released later. The university had virtually turned into a battlefield on Sunday as police entered the campus and also used force, leading to violence and arson in which four DTC buses, 100 private vehicles and 10 police bikes were damaged.

A senior Home Ministry official said the police did not fire any bullet on protesters near Jamia on Sunday, but an empty cartridge was found from the area. Under the new law, all but Muslims who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 and are facing religious persecution can be given Indian citizenship.

Protests are being held across the country ever since a bill was introduced in Parliament earlier this month for this law. Fresh protests took place on Tuesday in Kerala, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Maharashtra, West Bengal and several other parts of the country as well.

In Gujarat, protesters gathered outside the Sabarmati Ashram with anti-CAA placards. In Kerala, stones were hurled at state transport buses, shops were forcibly closed and protest marches were held in support of a dawn-to-dusk hartal, while over 200 people were taken into preventive custody.

In Tamil Nadu, DMK president M K Stalin called the new law "hasty and autocratic" and alleged the BJP-led Centre's objective was not India's progress but trampling the rights of Muslims. In West Bengal, protesters blocked roads and railway tracks, though curfew was lifted in Guwahati of neighbouring Assam following improvement in the law and order situation. Curfew was relaxed in Shillong too.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the BJP cannot bully the states into enforcing the law. In Uttar Pradesh, officials said 26 people, including eight students, arrested in connection with the AMU violence, have been released on personal bonds.

However, 19 people were arrested in Mau area of the state for violence on Monday night, that had followed police action in Jamia. Opposition leaders also knocked on the doors of President Ram Nath Kovind urging him to intervene on the issue of violence in central universities and advise the Modi government to withdraw the "unconstitutional and divisive" citizenship amendment law.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who led the delegation, alleged the Modi government was "shutting down" people's voices and bringing legislations which are not acceptable to them. Separately addressing a meet of vice chancellors and directors of central universities, Kovind asked them to ensure that higher educational institutes emerge as spaces that nurture free expression and ideas.

The government officials maintained that the situation in 42 central universities, except the two, was peaceful. Meanwhile, BJP and ABVP workers also staged demonstrations at some places to support the new law.