CAA stir: Ommen Chandy condemns detention of Kerala journalists in Mangaluru

Police had snatched their cameras and cellphones on the pretext that they were not accredited journalists and said they will soon be deported to Kerala.

Congress leader and former Kerala Chief Minister Ommen Chandy. (File Photo | Manu R Mavelil, EPS)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader and former Kerala Chief Minister Ommen Chandy on Friday termed the detention of four journalists in Mangaluru during the protest against the amended Citizenship law in Karnataka as 'shocking'.

"The detention of four journalists in Mangalore is shocking," said Ommen Chandy, former Kerala Chief Minister.

FULL STORY | Mangaluru cops snatch cameras, phones from Kerala journalists, say they will be deported

Earlier in the day, Kerala CM Vijayan assured the safety of Malayalee journalists detained during Citizenship law agitation in Mangaluru.

This comes after several journalists were detained in Mangaluru on Thursday after the protest against newly-amended citizenship law turned violent in which two persons were killed while 20 police personnel were injured.

Protests have intensified in several parts of the country after the Parliament gave the nod to the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019, which became an Act after getting assent from President Ram Nath Kovind.

The Act grants Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.