HYDERABAD: Darussalam in the Old City of Hyderabad reverberated on Saturday night with raised voices of an unprecedented number of people, who had congregated after a call by Hyderabad MP and AIMIM Chief, Asaduddin Owaisi for the public meeting organised under the banner of United Muslim Action Committee, to showcase protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).
According to some estimates, close to 30,000 people assembled in Darussalam to listen to a wide range of speakers, apart from Owaisi himself. Two barricades separating the crowd had to be lifted off to accommodate the ever-increasing crowd. In the huge crowd, many were left breathless and had to be rescued by AIMIM workers. Even the police had to intervene. It was only when Asaduddin Owaisi appealed to the crowd to remain calm that the situation came under control.
Owaisi, speaking at the gathering, thanked KCR for voting against CAA in LS and RS and appealed to Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy to withdraw his support to the CAA. A number of people in the crowd waved the national flag, and held placards that displayed their anger against CAA, NRC, PM Modi and Amit Shah.
One of the two Jamia Milia Islamia students whose video went viral in the aftermath of the police action in the university, demanded the release of Bhim Army leader Chandrasekhar Azad and others who were detained illegally. Aysha Renna, whose video of her defending her friends from the lathi charge of Delhi police went viral, said, “On behalf of thousands of people present here, I request the release of Chandrsekhar Azad from police custody.
I also demand the release of all those who are illegally detained under police custody.” Renna asked, “Have you ever heard about police attacking students in library?” She also made a mention of the NRC and criticised it. Another Jamia student who has turned into a symbol of resistance for protesters Ladeeda Farzana was also present there. Farzana, who looked visibly sick, sat on the stage, said. “I request all students in Hyderabad to join this protest,” Farzana said.
Govt reversing every principle the country is based on: Kalpana
Hyderabad: Pointing out a need to reconstruct the present uprising across the country against CAA and NRC as not being limited to just these two causes, but as an uprising against a “rogue state”, Prof Kalpana Kannabiran, director, Council for Social Development said that there is need to lay bare the intent behind the politics of the ruling. Kannabiran was speaking at a discussion held on CAA and NRC organised in the city on Saturday, by the Women and Transgender Organizations’ JAC and Hyderabad Muslim Women’s Forum. Attacking the BJP, she said, “This government is reversing every principle on which this country is based on”. She said the Act will negatively impact Muslims. Prof Amir Ullah Khan, MCR HRD said even before CAA there were rules which excluded Muslims