Chandigarh, Dec 19 (PTI) Scores of people on Thursday staged a protest here to express their resentment against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens.
Various Muslim outfits that had given a call for protest were joined by some students and Sikh outfits.
The agitators gathered near a mosque in Sector 20 here to register their dissent against the CAA.
A student said the protest was also being held to express solidarity with the students of Jamia Millia Islamia and several other universities across the country.
The protesters raised slogans like "Hindustan Zindabad" and said Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians in this country are like brothers.
"Today, a conspiracy is being hatched to destroy the country's Constitution and spoil the peaceful atmosphere. We are protesting against the CAA and the government's decision to implement the NRC in the country," another protester said.
Some agitators were also seen holding tricolour in their hands while others held placards which read "We oppose Citizenship (Amendment) Act", Stop CAA, Save India , India boycott CAA and NRC .
There were reports that a protest was also held against the CAA in Bathinda
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh condemned the "crackdown on peaceful protesters" in Delhi on Thursday.
Hundreds of students, activists and opposition leaders were detained on Thursday when they defied prohibitory orders to protest against the new citizenship law as large parts of the national capital reeled under restrictions on mobile internet services and traffic movement.
"No democracy can work by suppressing people's voice. I condemn the crackdown on peaceful CAA Protests in Delhi & other cities. Preventive & penal measures should be used in proportion to threat to law & order. Are we living in a totalitarian State? Amarinder Singh said in a tweet.
At the same time, he appealed to the protesters not to resort to violence or destruction of property.
"While protests are a part of a democratic process, non-violence is the basic ethos of India. So let's fight against this unconstitutional Citizenship (Amendment) Act peacefully," he said.
The new law seeks to provide citizenship to members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have entered India till December 31, 2014, following religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
