Amid nationwide protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), BJP National General Secretary Bhupendra Yadav called for a rally in support of CAA on Sunday, December 22.

Hundreds of people from various strata of the society came together at Townhall in Bengaluru at 10 am on Sunday and raised slogans in support for CAA. 

Incidentally, this was the same place where a couple of days ago, similar protests were held but against CAA. The group which formed the bulk of the protestors included Hindu Janajagruthi Samiti, which was priorly accused of the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh. 

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya termed the anti- CAA protestors as ‘misled’ and urged the CAA supporters to spread awareness about its positive aspects among fellow citizens. He justified his stance by citing the terrible conditions of the Hindus residing in Pakistan and Bangladesh. 

“Had we wanted it, we could have gathered half of Bengaluru ’s population in support of CAA. The crowd today is just a sample,” the Times of India quoted Tejasvi Surya as saying. 

While a pro-CAA rally got permission, the government denied permission for anti-CAA protest. The “Satyagraha” protest was supposed to be held at the Quddus Saheb Edigah in Benson Town, Bengaluru.

The organizers had taken permission for the venue from the Chairperson and Managing Committee of the Jumma Masjid Trust Board. However, the  Bharathinagar police refused to allow the satyagraha to take place despite the withdrawal of section 144 which was imposed in the city after the protests.

The satyagraha was then shifted to the Town Hall. The people gathered at Townhall mainly consisted of students and youth. Many of the protestors stated that they would refuse to show documents to prove citizenship if NRC was implemented. 

Both of these, pro and anti- CAA happened one after the other at the same venue, a day after the prohibitory measures were lifted, drawing equally large crowds.

Protests against the controversial act were first witnessed in Assam, followed by New Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Chennai and several other cities. The protestors hold the view that the Act allocates citizenship based on religion which goes against the spirit of the nation. 

Also Read: Anti-CAA Protest: Two Killed In Police Firing In Mangaluru, Internet Suspended, Curfew Imposed