Beaten and greeted with chili powder – Mumbai’s message to anti-CAA protesters is loud and clear

As the anti-CAA cabal tried to impose Bharat Bandh on the Mumbaikars, they faced massive backlash from the common people. Following the call of Bharat Bandh, anti-CAA protesters blocked the Mumbai local train services, which caused distress among the commuters as they were not supportive of this liberal propaganda. Facing inconvenience from the rail blockade, the commuters clashed with the protesters at Kanjurmarg railway station, “Around 50 protesters sat on the rail track in front of a local train at Kanjurmarg railway station. They were raising slogans against the central government and against CAA, NRC. This affected other trains also,” police said.

Many people stepped down to ask the protesters to lift their protest as it was creating a public nuisance. This is when clashes broke out between protesters and angry commuters. Police, however, reached the spot and removed protesters from tracks. Some protesters were even detained, according to the media reports.

In another incident, a trader in Mumbai, Kishore Poddar, ‘welcomed’ the protesters by throwing chili powder at them. The protesters were trying to shut down his shop during ‘Bharat Bandh’ and damage his property. “Like always I opened my shop at 9 am. Some people came and asked me to close it. I told them that I support CAA then why should I close my shop. They became violent and tried to damage my property,” Kishore Poddar said.

The protesters also tried to close down shops of the other traders in Yavatmal. The traders reacted to this and got together at Sardar Chowk to show their disapproval to this bandh. Later, the traders gave a befitting answer to the protesters as they took out a march and got the shops opened which were closed by the protesters.

Similar reports also came from the Congress-ruled Madhya Pradesh, where around 11 people were arrested as they were forcing bandh on the people in Badhwani district. Bhopal too saw some petty clashes between the traders and the anti-CAA protesters in old city area and in Jahangirabad. Though, the bandh was conducted in several other places of the state with the support of local administration.

Reports of clashes between the locals and the protesters suggest that the anti-CAA protests are sponsored by the left liberals and anti-national elements do not ally with the people. Through this, the people have proved that they firmly back the legislation and the government. Resistance of the people is an eye opener for the liberals but they seldom understand this logic, the liberals would continue their propaganda and term this as Shaheen Bagh styled people’s movement.