Goa civic body revokes permission for anti-CAA rally

A BJP-controlled civic authority in Mapusa town in North Goa, on Friday revoked permission for an anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR) rally scheduled by a civil society group for January 18, hours after a group of 'nationalist' citizens threatened to hold a parallel rally at the same site.

In his reply to Firoz Khan, convenor of Sahayog, a civil society NGO, Chief Officer of the Mapusa Municipal Council Glen Madeira said that the permission granted to them to hold the protest meet on Saturday, had been "revoked" in view of "apprehension of breach of peace and law and order problem". The Congress has called the decision to revoke the permission as "murder of democracy".

Earlier, the civic corporation had granted permission to Sahayog to hold the rally at the taxi stand in Mapusa town at 4 p.m.

On Friday, the permission was revoked hours after members of an organisation called 'Deshpremi Nagrik' objected to the rally in a formal representation to the Chief Officer of the municipality, the majority of whose councillors owe allegiance to the BJP.

"If this meeting goes ahead, we as nationalist citizens of Mapusa will organise a protest march against this meeting at the same time on the same venue. It may cause law and order situation in Mapusa and the concerned authority will be solely responsible for it, please take note of this," members of the organisation told the civic official.

"We have seen the various protests which are organised against CAA have anti-national elements participation. They have participated in violent activities wherever they have protested, thereby burning public properties and giving anti-national slogans like 'Free Kashmir and Azadi'," the letter said.

Reacting to the development, Congress spokesperson Trajano D'Mello said that the decision of the civic authority to revoke the permission amounted to murder of democracy.

"This is nothing but a murder of democracy. The Constitution of India gives its people the right to protest. It is the complete failure of this government, because it cannot provide security to people who want to peacefully protest," D'Mello said.

( With inputs from IANS )