Anti-CAA: Blankets of protesting women 'snatched' by police near Clock Tower in Lucknow

Lucknow, Jan 19: On the lines of Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, around 50 women along with children squatted near the Clock Tower in Lucknow's old quarters on Saturday evening braving the bone-chilling cold, and protested against the amended citizenship law and the planned National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Newly appointed Lucknow Police Commissioner Sujit Pandey reached the protest site and tried to persuade the agitators to end the stir, but they refused to budge.

Meanwhile, cracking down on protesters in an unusual manner, the police officials reportedly snatched the blankets, utensils and food items of residents demonstrating against the amended Citizenship Act.

In videos shared on Twitter, cops can be seen rushing towards police vans with the confiscated items such as blankets and food. Netizens trolled the UP police for confiscating blankets with #कम्बल_चोर_यूपी_पुलिस on Twitter.

Police in the independent state of Uttar Pradesh's capital Lucknow, took away blankets and water collected by volunteers from the protest sites to stop protests. #कम्बल_चोर_यूपी_पुलिस pic.twitter.com/KOz1uwqi98

— Bhakt's Nightmare (@Rantinglndian_) January 19, 2020

योगी जी की पुलिस को औरतों और बच्चों का इतना डर है कि. ..?

ठंड में प्रोटेस्ट करने वालों का कम्बल चटाई खाने का सामान तक छीन ले गयी...और इसका शिकार मेरी दोस्त @azizkavish भी हो गई . pic.twitter.com/PPpzReczPf

— Z0YA (@Troll_Ziddi) January 18, 2020

No words. 🤣🤣🤣#कम्बल_चोर_यूपी_पुलिस pic.twitter.com/yaHjvn32e2

— V (@Varishaaaa) January 18, 2020

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh police issued a clarification over the seizure of blankets and food items. In a statement, police said that the protest was "illegal" and distribution of blankets drew a lot of "non-protesting" crowd which caused chaos. Hence, the protesters were dispersed, said police.

घंटाघरपार्क में #अवैध_धरना_प्रदर्शन के दौरान
कुछसंगठनों द्वारा कम्बल वितरित कराया जारहा था जिससे आसपास केलोग जो धरनेमें सम्मिलित नहींथे वहभी कम्बललेने आरहे थे #पुलिस द्वारा कम्बल एवम् संगठन के व्यक्तियों को हटवाया गया व विधिक कार्यवाही कीगई |कृपया #अफवाह न फैलाएं @lkopolice pic.twitter.com/ovHoviiAA6

— Vikas Chandra Tripathi (@vctcop) January 19, 2020

The indefinite protest by women at the national capital's Shaheen Bagh against the CAA and NRC has been going on for over a month now.

Congress spokesperson Sadaf Jafar, who was arrested in connection with violence during anti-CAA protests in the Uttar Pradesh capital last month and released a few days back, said, "During anti-CAA protests earlier, the police had beaten up women, children and registered cases under stringent sections of the law."

"It is now to be seen what steps the police take to oppress these women.

CAA is against the country's Constitution and is also against the soul of the country," she said, and asked, "In a democratic and secular country like India, how could the government think of giving citizenship on the basis of a religion?"

One of the protestor Warish Saleem said, "The protest is on the lines of the Shaheen Bagh protests, and the stir will continue till the CAA and NRC are rolled back."

Besides Delhi, protests have unfolded in several parts of the country over the contentious law since it was passed on December 11 and have led to clashes at several places including Uttar Pradesh, where nearly 20 people have died.

According to the amended law, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 and facing religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship. The law excludes Muslims.