Kolkata: The protests over the Citizenship Bill are spreading like a bushfire In a grim reminder of the ham-handed manner in which the legislation has been handled and hyped by the BJP government, a railway station in West Bengal's Murshidabad district was set on fire on Friday evening.
Behind the arson were not lumpen element but thousands of citizens protesting against the divisive agenda. When the RPF personnel tried to stop them, they were badly thrashed.
Anti-CAB protesters also vandalised Uluberia railway station in Howrah district and pelted stones at running trains.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s warning almost sounded ominous when she declared that she will not allow the implementation of the legislation in her state "under any circumstances."
She termed the CAB as a 'torture upon humanity'. Multiple Muslim organisations in West Bengal gave a call to stage protests against the amended legislation after the Friday namaz.
In the national capital, the Jamia Millia Islamia University area was cordoned off by the police to stop protesting students from fanning out in the city.
According to a report, 50 students were detained after they engaged in scuffle with the Delhi Police. The protesters had called for a march to Parliament House from the university campus.
Anti-CAB agitations were also witnessed in Aligarh, Ahmedabad and Goa. On Friday morning, Assam and other North East states woke up to the reality that the Citizenship Amendment Bill has now become an Act; President Ram Nath Kovind gave his nod to the legislation late on Thursday night.
