Section 144 or a ban on large gatherings is in place in several big cities. Protests have been planned in many parts of the country against the new citizenship law, which allows non-Muslims from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh to become citizens of India without much hassle.
Internet services have been suspended and many prominent politicians and activists have been detained across the country to contain the protests against the newly amended Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA). Section 144 has also been imposed in some cities and in parts of important cities.
Delhi remained the epicentre of protests, with many prominent people such as CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP D Raja, Yogendra Yadav, CPI(M) leader Prakash and former student leader of JNU Umar Khalid have been detained.
Other major cities where protests and marches have also been planned include Mumbai, Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal and Nagpur.
Entry and exit gates of 21 metro stations in Delhi have been shut by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, including Rajiv Chowk, Delhi Gate, Jamia Millia, Lal Quila, ITO, Khan Market, Chandni Chowk, and Jama Masjid.
Hundreds of protesters have been detained in Delhi and Bangalore for defying the prohibitory orders. But the protests have been continuing in Uttar Pradesh, Hyderabad, Patna, Chandigarh, Mumbai, and other cities – civil society groups, political parties, students, activists, and civil society members took to social media asking people to turn up and protest peacefully.