CHENNAI: Relentless protesters, including women and children, continued to raise their voice against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) for the third consecutive day at Old Washermenpet in North Chennai on Sunday. The protests found resonance in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Chidambaram and Madurai, as people gathered in large numbers condemning Friday evening’s lathicharge against protesters in Chennai and demanding that the Act be revoked.
Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar on Sunday said he would discuss with Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on whether a resolution against CAA can be passed in the Assembly. After meeting the leaders of Muslim groups in his constituency, Jayakumar addressed the media and said that the AIADMK government would protect the rights of Muslims in the State.“The minister has given us promise that he will talk to the CM and we believe that. Our protests, however, will not stop until the government says they won’t implement the CAA,’’ said members of Muslim groups.
Senior police officers, including Director General of Police JK Tripathy and City Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan, held a meeting with Chief Minister and Home Secretary SK Prabakar to discuss the law and order situation. The DGP on Saturday had issued an order asking six officers to immediately take stock of the developments and take precautionary measures to avert untoward incidents. A senior police officer said additional police force has been deployed across the city and the State. The protests are expected to continue throughout the night.
Earlier during the day, hundreds of people sat near the Pencil Factory at Old Washermennpet seeking justice for those who were injured on Friday. They also urged the State to adopt a resolution against CAA. The protesters by-and-large remained on the side of the road and did not disturb traffic. It was a peaceful day at the site, with organisers even issuing passes for journalists. Many women distributed rose milk and cooked lunch for the protesters.
Over 2 crore signatures against CAA sent to Prez
Chennai: Signatures collected from people across the State by the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance cadre against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) were sent to President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday, seeking steps to repeal the Act. The DMK’s signature campaign was conducted from February 2 to 9 across the State. According to a release, the cadre had collected a total of 2.05 crore signatures. This was revealed at the DMK headquarters on Sunday where MK Stalin (DMK), Vaiko (MDMK), TK Rengarajan (CPI-M), KV Thankabalu(TNCC), Thol Thirumavalavan (VCK), K Veeramani (DK) and KAM Muhammed Abubacker (IUML) were present.