SAMBALPUR/ROURKELA: Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) were held in Sambalpur city amid heavy security on Thursday. Organised by a local outfit Bhim Army, the protestors held a rally from Sunapali to Bhutapada Chowk, raising slogans against CAA, NRC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Saha.
They also submitted a memorandum addressed to the President of India through Collector Subham Saxena terming the CAA unconstitutional and against the basic structure of the Indian Constitution. The protests were peaceful. Eight platoons of police force were deployed to prevent any untoward incident, ASP PK Mohapatra said.In Rourkela, Left parties protested the CAA and NRC while the saffron outfits came out in support of the move.
Activists of the CPM, CPI and CPI (ML) staged protest demonstration at Uditnagar Ambedkar Square demanding immediate withdrawal of the Act. Accusing the Modi Government of dividing people on religious lines, senior CPM leader Bishnu Mohanty said it was done with an agenda of building a Hindu nation. He also warned the Government against disturbing the secular fabric of the country.
Later in the evening, members of the Bajrang Dal and Durga Bahini held demonstration at Bisra Square supporting the CAA and NRC. They claimed the move was taken in national interest to prevent infiltration of illegal immigrants, while protecting minority communities of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who faced oppression there.