Chennai: Thousands March To Secretariat To Demand Resolution Against CAA

Thousands of protesters on Wednesday marched to the Secretariat at Fort St. George in Chennai carrying placards against the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA ) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC ). 

The protesters demanded that the Tamil Nadu Assembly pass a resolution against the CAA. The rally stopped at Chepauk cricket stadium because the roads leading to the Secretariat were blocked, according to The Hindu . Members of the the Federation of Tamil Nadu Islamic and Political Organisations took part in the rally.

The Madras High Court had on Tuesday restrained the Federation from holding the agitation. A bench of justices M Sathyanaraya and R Hemalatha posted the matter for further hearing on 12 March. 

The city police, according to The News Minute , said that the protesters didn’t have permission for the march because they did not take the mandatory five-day advance permission. 

The police used drones to monitor the protest. Commissioner of Police AK Viswanathan confirmed to The Indian Express that thousands of police personnel were deployed in the area.

Several states, including Kerala and West Bengal, have passed resolutions demanding scrapping of the CAA. 

In Tamil Nadu, DMK president and Leader of the Opposition MK Stalin’s request to discuss a resolution urging the Centre to withdraw the CAA was disallowed by the Speaker. 

Chief Minister Palaniswami said on Tuesday that a resolution against CAA cannot be passed since it comes under the purview of the central government, according to The New Indian Express .