Anti-CAA Stir to Restart from Independence Day: Activist-Lawyer Mahmood Pracha

New Delhi, 15 August 2020 [Fik/News Sources]: Advocate Mahmood Pracha, lawyer, rights activist and close associate of Dalit leader Chandrashekhar Azad, has determined to restart the movement against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) from the Independence Day.

In a telephonic conversation, he said that he would resume the anti-CAA agitation with the help of other activists. The protests have been halted since the Janata Curfew was imposed in March followed by the pandemic-induced total lockdown across the country.

Pracha said that due to the unlock guidelines, the movement would initially take place online. “The movement will take place as per the law and physical protests will take place on streets as per the unlock guidelines,” said Pracha.

He told Clarion India that an appeal to hoist the tricolor and reading of the preamble of the constitution of India has been made to the general public as part of the Independence Day celebrations.

After the police crackdown on the Jamia campus, the university and Shaheen Bagh became two epicentres of the movement. Inspired by the Shaheen Bagh sit-in model, similar peaceful protests were held in many parts of the country. The gathering was, however, maligned and given a communal colour by the leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Pracha said, “It is important to prevent a movement from such slandering.”

“We are going to take due care this time. The movement will still belong to the public but there will be certain guidelines to take part in the movement in order to avoid anomalies we faced in the past”, said Pracha recalling the speeches of some people which were later manipulated to malign the movement of Shaheen Bagh and Jamia.

The former JNU student and activist Sharjeel Imam’s speech had sparked a controversy and he was later booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

A drive to ‘save constitution’, ‘save citizenship’ and ‘save reservation’ will be carried out with the resumption of the movement. “We will launch a website in order to create awareness among the public about their civil rights, reservation rights and citizenship”, he further added.

On involvement of political personnel in the agitations, Pracha said that whoever believed in the ideals of Bhimrao Ambedkar and condemned the CAA could join the movement.