691 booked as protesters stage anti-CAA marches across Kerala

LDF leaders burn a copy of the CAA during a march taken out to the accountant general’s office in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha LDF candidate Pannyan Raveendran is also seen. (Photo | B P Deepu)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Close on the heels of the Centre notifying the rules for the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the state has witnessed high-octane protests yet again. Till Tuesday morning, the police registered cases against 691 people across the state, even as 18 were arrested, for carrying out protest marches against the implementation of CAA.

The most number of people were booked in Ernakulam, where the Aluva East police registered cases against more than 500 agitators affiliated to the SDPI. The Aluva East police also registered a case against 13 PDP men. The two parties had organised protest marches towards the railway station.

In Thiruvananthapuram, more than 100 SDPI workers and 20 MSF workers were booked by the Museum police for staging a march to the Raj Bhavan against the CAA. The Kozhikode Town police booked eight Fraternity Movement members for holding a protest. The police have recorded the arrest of the agitators there.

Meanwhile, the Vadakara police registered cases against 25 Youth League workers for carrying out a protest march, and arrested seven. In Koyilandy, as many as 25 MSF workers were booked, three of whom were arrested.

In a majority of the cases, the accused were slapped with bailable sections. Police sources said the department is expecting various political parties and outfits to stage more protests in the coming days.

Major sections invoked against protesters

• IPC 143- Unlawful assembly

• IPC 147- Rioting

• IPC 283- Road obstruction

• IPC 353- Using criminal force to deter a public official from performing his duty