Civil disobedience call at one lakh strong anti-CAA rally in Bengaluru

Over a lakh protesters have gathered at Bengaluru’s Quddus Saheb Edigah grounds with placards and the tricolour to oppose the contentious new Citizenship law and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). A call for civil disobedience was given at the protest venue.

News reports suggest shops in and around Shivajinagar and Frazer Town have been shut following a bandh call against the new law. The protest was peaceful with the crowd waving the national flag and shouting slogans when prompted.

Reports said the police had to lock the gates of the grounds and install barricades after it was packed with protesters. Carrying the national flag, thousands of protesters walked along the Millers road on their way to the gathering. At regular intervals on the road, loudspeaker announcements were made urging the crowd to maintain peace.

Former IAS officers Harsh Mander and Shashikant Senthil, who were present at the gathering, addressed the crowd. Retired Supreme Court judge Gopal Gowda was also present.

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Addressing the crowd, Mander said the BJP must change its name to Bharatiya Jinnah Party, referring to Pakistan’s first prime minister, Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi and his call for a civil disobedience movement against the then British rule, he said, “I am taking a pledge that I will not submit by documents. Let them put me in detention centre.” Soon, the protesters were heard shouting, “Hum kagaz nahi denge (We will not give documents).”

Senthil too appealed for a civil disobedience movement and said, “We will fill up the detention centres until they are fully packed.”