Anti-CAA protests: Friday prayers at Mecca Masjid peaceful

Hyderabad, Dec 20: Barring some slogan shouting against the Citizenship Amendment Act, prayers at the historic Mecca Masjid passed off peacefully, Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar said here on Friday. "City is peaceful.

Except for some slogan shouting against the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), situation at Mecca Masjid was peaceful. Though there was no additional deployment of force, our senior officials were present at the mosque," Kumar told PTI.

The city has been witnessing sporadic protests by various organisations, including students and political parties, against the CAA for the past few days.

Around 100 students of the University of Hyderabad, who planned to take part in a protest rally, were taken into preventive custody outside the varsity's campus and taken near a police station where they read the preamble of the Constitution of India.

They raised slogans like "Samvidhan par hamla nahi chalega" (Attack on Constitution will not be allowed).

Later in the evening, some students of the UoH held a protest inside the campus, accusing the Telangana government of forcefully suppressing democratic protests across the state. The city has been witnessing sporadic protests by various organisations including students and political parties against the CAA for the past few days. They have also been protesting the police crackdown against Jamia Milia University students in Delhi.