With the police refusing to give permission to citizens to stage protests in Hyderabad against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the residents of the city are taking out unique flash protests to make sure that they are heard.
On Sunday, two major flash protests were organised. While the first one was at the Starbucks in Jubilee Hills, in the other instance, protesters took a ferry to the Buddha statue located in Hussain Sagar, and staged a protest there.
In the first case, a group of people decided to meet for coffee at Starbucks in Jubilee Hills. After they placed and received their orders, they pulled out placards that they were carrying and held it up in silent protest.
The cards asked citizens to reject the CAA and the Centre's National Register of Citizens (NRC), stating that it was against democracy, and the spirit of the Indian Constitution.
However, the management of Starbucks immediately tried to stop them.
Meanwhile, a larger group of people took a boat ride from Lumbini Park to the Buddha statue in Hussain Sagar in the heart of the city, before taking out their placards.
#CoffeeWithPlacard #HyderabadFlashProtest at @Starbucks Jubilee Hills against #NRC_CAA_NPR pic.twitter.com/thSXpfm1qm
— مبشرالدین خرم (@infomubashir) December 29, 2019
Besides placards against CAA and NRC, one of the posters even taunted the Hyderabad police for rejecting permissions for protests.
Flash Protest #CAA_NRC_Protest
— Ayesha Minhaz (@ayesha_minhaz) December 29, 2019
People of Hyderabad are so vexed with the Hyderabad police that they took a ferry to Buddha Statue @ Hussain Sagar because the City Police won't let them protest anywhere. pic.twitter.com/D8hxJbUe9W
Those who had staged the protest were questioned by the police at Lumbini Park once they returned, but later let off.
Meanwhile, smaller flash protests were also held at Malakpet and outside the Inorbit Mall in the city's IT sector.
Hyderabad at a glance. Sunday. #HyderabadFlashProtest #CAA_NRC_NPR pic.twitter.com/1a6mgiJ7c7
— Faheem - Kagaz baigan bhi nai dikhatu (@stoppression) December 29, 2019
The protests came a day after a 'Million March' scheduled at Hyderabad's Necklace Road on December 28 was postponed. This, after the Telangana High Court adjourned a petition that sought permission to conduct the event, after the police refused to grant permission.
Many had pointed out on social media that the police had given permission for a massive Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) meeting recently, even allowing RSS workers to march on the roads of Hyderabad, but denied permission for the 'Million March'.
When a similar question was posed to Hyderabad Commissioner Anjani Kumar in a press conference earlier this week, he said that permission could be given to public meetings at designated places, but protests on public roads would adversely impact vehicular traffic in the city.