AHMEDABAD: Hundreds of women, accompanied by children, on Sunday took out a "tiranga yatra" against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) here in Gujarat during which they recited the Preamble to the Constitution.
The police had given permission for the protest march on the occasion of the 71st Republic Day on the condition that no man will participate, an organising member claimed.
The protesters started from the Ajit Mill compound in Rakhiyal locality, the venue of the anti-citizenship law demonstrations since the last two weeks, and marched till Vir Abdul Hamid Chowk, a distance of around 2 kms, before returning to the starting point.
"We had sought permission for the women-only tiranga rally to mark the Republic Day celebrations, which was granted by the police on the condition that men will not participate. Police had asked us to not mix the tiranga rally with the anti-CAA protest," activist Kalim Siddiqui said, adding that a few men remained present as volunteers.
While the protesters didn't shout any anti-CAA slogans during the march, they chanted the preamble the Constitution, he claimed.
"Women participants unfurled the tricolour and recited the preamble to the Constitution throughout the rally," he said.
Siddiqui further said that volunteers engaged children with various competitions at the site of the protest who also recited the preamble to the Constitution in Urdu.
Siddiqui said a sit-in to support the Shaheen Bagh gathering in Delhi has been going on at the mill compound where "90 per cent participants are women".
"We will wind up the protest when it is done so in Shaheen Bagh," he said.
Thousands of people, including women and children, have been protesting since December 15 at Shaheen Bagh and nearby Jamia Millia Islamia against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Meanwhile, some activists spoke at the gathering ahead of the Ahmedabad rally.
In a separate event, an all-faith prayer meet was organised in Dariyapur locality of the city where women also read the Holy Quran.
Congress MLA from Dariyapur, Gyasuddin Sheikh, members of his party as well as local people participated in the programme.
A silent protest was also held against the CAA during which placards were displayed.