Kerala: Over 100 people taken in preventive custody over CAA protests

A dawn to dusk protest planned against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Kerala started with the police taking 100 people in preventive custody from different areas of the State. 

The protest had been called by parties that do not have a major representation in the State Assembly. Earlier, State Police chief Loknath Behra said that the protest that had been called was illegal since the protestors, in order to call for a shutdown, had not followed the Kerala High Court ruling of giving a seven days notice. 

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Kerala protests against CAA

On Monday, the CPI(M)-led LDF and opposition Congress headed UDF in Kerala held a joint protest against the amended Citizenship act here on Monday with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slamming the move as an attempt to "curb freedom". The two parties are staunch local rivals but had come together to protest against the CAA, which is widely regarded as unconstitutional. 
Multiple protests have broken out across the country against the CAA, which allows non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to seek residence in India.

The protests have erupted in different regions in the country, including New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, etc. In the national capital, the protests took a violent turn on Sunday evening, when the city police barged into the campus of Jamia Milia University, beating up students and entering the library, canteen, washroom as well as the residential wings of both, girls and boys. Many of them were detained by the police on Sunday evening and were released only around 3:30 am on Monday after a huge crowd had gathered outside the Police headquarters. 

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PM Modi dispels misinformation

On Monday afternoon, PM Modi took to Twitter to address the country on the issue and gave an assurance that the CAA had nothing to do with any citizen of India, irrespective of religion. He emphasised that the legislation was only aimed at helping persecuted individuals in other countries. Warning against rumours, he stressed that it was time to maintain peace and work together for the development of India.

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