Opposition leaders meet President over citizenship Act, Sonia says voice of people being suppressed

Opposition leaders including Congress President Sonia Gandhi met President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday to lodge their protest over police action against students over the Citizenship Amendment Bill and said the protests against the legislation were spreading throughout the country.

Talking to media persons after meeting the President, Sonia Gandhi said they had sought his intervention against the legislation.

"All of us representatives of different parties, 12 of them, met the President to seek his intervention over the situation," she said.

She accused the Centre of "suppressing voice of people".

The Congress chief said the BJP and Modi government "seems to have no compunction when it comes to shutting down people's voices and implement legislation which does not seem to be acceptable to us and the people in the democracy".

She said apart from protests in Northeast, the protests were being held in different parts of the country and may spread further.

"It is a very serious situation," she said.

The Congress chief said they were "anguished by the manner the police had dealt with a peaceful demonstration".

"In Delhi, police entered Jamia Millia Islamia University's women hostel and dragged students out. They mercilessly beat up other students as well who were demonstrating there. It is their democratic right to protest," she said.

( With inputs from ANI )