Mandi house turns into CAA battleground; Dozens detained as protesters defy Section 144

New Delhi, Dec 19: A number of Left leaders including D Raja, Sitaram Yechury and Prakash Karat were detained at Mandi House during an anti-Citizenship Act protest in Delhi defying prohibitory orders, and later released in different areas of the city.

"We were detained and then taken in buses and dropped at different areas. I was dropped off near Karol Bagh while some others have been taken to Bawana," CPI General Secretary D Raja told PTI just after he was let off. Nilotpal Basu, Brinda Karat and Annie Raja were also among those detained.

Following his detention at Red Fort, Yadav tweeted that he was being taken to Bawana police station. "About a thousand protesters already detained," he tweeted. "It is an honour to be detained on 19th of December, a small tribute to Ashfakulla Khan and Ramprasad Bismil." Yadav said former MP Dharamvir Gandhi has also been detained along with him.

According to the agitators, after the detention of the Left leaders, students, including those from JNU and Jamia Millia Islamia started leading the protest on their way to Jantar Mantar.

Scores were detained from there on as they chanted slogans against the contentious new citizenship law. Anyone trying to lead the protests was being detained by the police is detaining them. A number of student protestors were detained at Bhagwan Dass Road, police said.

CrPC Section 144 was imposed also in the Red Fort area, but that did not deter scores of students and activists from converging there to raise their voice against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the police crackdown in Jamia Millia Islamia and the Aligarh Muslim University.

The agitators were put into buses in a bid to clear the Red Fort area. Holding placards and shouting slogans, the protesters allowed themselves to be escorted to the buses. Swarajya Abhiyan chief Yogendra Yadav was among those detained.

Two protests were planned in Delhi on Thursday - one by students and activists near the Red Fort, and another by Left parties near Mandi House. Visuals outside the Red Fort showed heavy police deployment. Permissions for protests near the monument had already been denied.