CAA: Thousands of Muslims take to streets in TN

A large number of anti-CAA protesters, majority of them Muslims, held a massive protest

against the amended Citizenship Act at Chepauk here, even as agitations were held across Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

The protest here was held under the aegis of the Tamil Nadu Islamia Iyakkangal Matrum Arasiyal Katchigalin

Koottamaippu, a federation of state Muslim outfits and political parties.

Representatives from DMK and other political parties also took part in the protest.

Meanwhile, as the demonstration was being held at Chepauk, Chief Minister K Palaniswami in the Assembly located

inside the Secretariat a few kms away, announced welfare measures for the Muslim community, including pension hike for

'Ulema' (Islamic scholars). Earlier, in a massive show of strength, agitators came in

swathes and converged at Chepauk, before taking out a brief march along the Wallajah road as part of their original

plan to proceed to the the state Secretariat and lay siege to the Assembly.

However, the Madras High Court had on Tuesday restrained the Muslim outfits from going ahead with their seige protest.

The outfits have been demanding that the state Assembly, dominated by the AIADMK, adopt a resolution against the

Citizenship Amendment Act in the ongoing session which concludes tomorrow.

Agitators were seen carrying placards against CAA, NRC and NPR, besides the Indian flag and raised slogans against

the amended citizenship law. Scores of Muslim women, many of them burqa-clad, joined

the agitation here. The protest resulted in traffic snarls at key points

along the arterial Anna Salai, even as police had set up roadblocks and sealed off roads leading to the Secretariat as

part of beefed up security measures. The Secretariat, the state's seat of power, was brought

under a stricter vigil, with more police personnel deployed at the historic Fort St George to prevent any untoward incidents.

Anti-CAA protests were held elsewhere in the state, including Madurai, Thanjavur, Cuddalore, Coimbatore, Tirupur

and Tirunelveli, with members of the Muslim community hitting the streets against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Palaniswami announced a 50 per cent subsidy for 'Ulema' to buy new two-wheelers and doubled their pension by

increasing the payout to Rs 3,000 from the present Rs 1,500. The 'Ulema' are the guardians and interpreters of

religious knowledge in Islam. There are 2,814 Waqf institutions in Tamil Nadu and

'Ulemas' working in such registered entities will be provided a subsidy of Rs 25,000 or 50 per cent of the vehicle cost,

whichever is lower to buy new two wheelers, he told the Assembly.

Also, the government will allocate Rs 15 crore for building a new 'Haj House' here in a land that will be

assigned by Tamil Nadu Waqf Board, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)