Uttar Pradesh: Anti-CAA protesters in Azamgarh lathi charged by police, women and children injured

The anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters in Bilariyaganj area of Azamgarh district in east Uttar Pradesh have alleged that the police lathi-charged on them in the wee hours of Wednesday, leaving at least 10 of them injured.

“The police also fired tear gas and later filled with water Jauhar Ali Park in Bilariyanaj area, where we were on dharna since Tuesday afternoon against the CAA, National register of Citizens and National Population Register, which were intended to ostracise the Muslims in their own India”, said a woman, requesting to conceal her identity.

“We were there till 2:30 AM as the women of our families were participating in the sit-in. We left the place at that time to prepare for Morning Prayer and received the call from the Park at 4 AM that the police have been beating them. We rushed to the spot and found that the women and some children, who accompanied them were running for safety and the police were chasing and beating them”, said a local resident, whose wife was in the dharna.

He claimed that injured women were under treatment in private hospitals.

Triveni Singh, Superintendent of Police blamed the women and some men for pelting stones on the police.

“They had organised dharna without taking permission from the administration. Later in the night, they pelted stones on the police. Having little option left with us we used mild force to disperse the crowd. The police have detained some men and women and grilling them to find out who provoked them to organise dharna and defy rules”, the officer told local reporters.

He said force has been deployed at the park and the protesters have vacated the area.