Citizenship Act protests: Two dead after violent protests in Mangaluru, schools closed on Friday
The police baton-charged protestors and fired shots in the air after stones were allegedly thrown.
Two people died in the city of Mangaluru in Karnataka as protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act snowballed. The two protestors who died in Mangaluru were identified as 49 year old Jaleel Kudroli, and 23 year old Nausheen, PTI reported.
In the evening, the police fired shots in the air and a curfew was imposed in areas under the jurisdiction of five police stations. Large gatherings were also banned. The curfew will be in place until midnight on December 20, The New Indian Express reported.
Dakshina Kannada District Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh said all schools and colleges in Mangaluru will remain closed on Friday.
Earlier in the afternoon, more than 100 protestors gathered near a bus stop close to the office of the deputy commissioner. The police beat them with batons and pushed them back after an argument broke out, reported The News Minute. The police claimed that they charged the demonstrators with batons after they started hurling stones. Stone pelting was reported in the city’s Hamilton Circle, Central Market and State Bank areas. Protestors also allegedly hurled stones at the police in the Mukyaprana Temple and Bunder areas. Shops in the these areas have been closed amid prohibitory orders.
Section 144 banning large gatherings has been imposed in other parts of Karnataka too, including Bengaluru, where more than 100 protestors were detained earlier in the day.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa directed the police to act against “goonda elements threatening law and order and not common citizens”. He urged political parties, leaders and people to maintain peace, according to ANI. “Citizenship Amendment Act is no threat to people of this country, it’s only an act applied to people from other countries who seek Indian citizenship,” the chief minister added.