BENGALURU: What was supposed to be a 48-hour satyagraha against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) by students of several colleges in the city was cut short by the police to four hours. The protest began with a few students gathering under a tree at 6 pm at Freedom Park without police permission.
They sang songs like Hum Honge Kamiyab, read out poetry and raised slogans against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The police attempted to evict them from the spot, but they refused to budge.
A police van and two BMTC buses remained parked at the spot. The police barricaded the entrance of the Freedom Park ground and did not allow other protesters to join in. But a majority of them sat down on the pavement and raised slogans. MLA Sowmya Reddy joined the students at 9.15 pm.
The students were later informed by the police that they were allowed to protest only until 10 pm, after which they would be detained. Following this, the students dispersed. Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Satyapal Singh who attended Hakki Habba at Nandi Hills on Friday said Opposition parties are spreading rumours about the CAA.