Muslims staged a massive but peaceful protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) after Friday prayers at the historic Mecca Masjid here.
The protest was spontaneous as hundreds of people coming out of the mosque started raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
There was tension in the area as slogan shouting continued for some time. Police tried to pacify the protesters and advised them to disperse.
A policeman grabbed a protester by his collar and dragged him towards a police vehicle, drawing strong protest from others.
The protesters later dispersed peacefully. Senior police officials present near the mosque handled the situation tactfully by allowing the protesters to peacefully protest in front of the mosque.
Personnel of city police and paramilitary forces were deployed in large numbers at Charminar as part of the security measures in the communally sensitive old city.
A protest was also staged at Azizia Masjid in Mehdipatnam area in the heart of the city. Immediately after Friday prayers, protesters gathered on the road slogans, denouncing the CAA.
The protestors, some of them carrying India’s national flag and placards with ‘No CAA No NRC’ slogans written on it, demanded that the Centre immediately rollback the legislation.
“CAA is against the Constitution of India and we will never accept CAA and NRC,” said a protestor.
Protests were also held in various towns in Telangana after Friday prayers. Huge gatherings were seen at various places to protest against the CAA.
Hyderabad had also witnessed anti-CAA protest on Thursday. The police had foiled a rally by the Left parties and some Muslim organisations and detained over 300 protesters.
The United Muslim Action Committee, comprising All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and various other Muslim groups, is scheduled to organise a massive public meeting on Saturday.
The meeting to be held at AIMIM headquarters Darussalam, will be addressed by party President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, religious scholars and leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and other groups.
