Internet has been suspended even as prohibitory orders prevail in UP and Karnataka after three people were killed during violent protests.
Mobile internet and SMS services have been suspended in Lucknow till December 21 noon after the death of a 25-year-old in alleged 'firearm injury' amid violent protests against Citizenship Amendment Act. Earlier, mobile internet was suspended in Sambhal, Aligarh, Mau, Ghaziabad and Azamgarh districts. Karnataka's Mangaluru is under curfew after two died in police firing and internet shutdown has been imposed till December 22 midnight.
Almost all the country's major cities - Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow, Patna, Thiruvananthapuram, and Hyderabad - saw protesters on the streets despite substantial police presence and imposition of prohibitory orders at several places.
Protests have been scheduled for Friday, including two scheduled in the national capital, as the country continues to see unrest over the controversial law.
Follow updates here:
8:15 pm: Congress leader Sonia Gandhi joins protests at India Gate.
8:02 pm: "Over 50 policemen were seriously injured during protests," police said.
8:00 pm: Five people were killed in Uttar Pradesh on Friday during protests. "Of the five casualties, two were reported from Bijnore, one each from Firozabad, Sambhal, Meerut," officials said.
7:35 pm: At least 13 government vehicles - including 12 MSRTC buses and a fire brigade truck - were stoned by miscreants as protests in different parts of the state on Friday turned violent, officials said.
7:27 pm: "Internet services to remain suspended till 10 am tomorrow. All schools to stay closed," District Magistrate of Ghaziabad says.
7:26 pm: Curfew was imposed in Gohalpur and Hanumantal police station limits in Jabalpur city of Madhya Pradesh on Friday following violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
7:09 pm: As many as 14 people were taken into preventive custody at the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad after Friday prayers during a protest, police said.
7:08 pm: Delhi Police on Friday said "outsiders" were involved in the violence near Delhi Gate during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
6:56 pm: Delhi Traffic Police issues advisory: "Traffic movement is closed from Mandi House to ITO due to demonstration. Kindly avoid the stretch."
6:52 pm: "Citizenship Amendment Act is discriminatory, and proposed nationwide NRC will particularly hurt poor, vulnerable," says Sonia Gandhi.
6:37 pm: "BJP government has shown utter disregard for people's voices, used brute force to suppress dissent, it is unacceptable in a democracy," says Sonia Gandhi
6:31 pm: Protesters gather at the steps of Jama Masjid and raise slogans against the new legislation.
6:12 pm: Protesters set ablaze a car in Old Delhi's Daryaganj. Clashes between protesters and police going on.
6:08 pm: Police uses water cannons to disperse the protesters.
6:04 pm: A massive crowd has gathered at Delhi Gate and are trying marching towards India Gate against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
5:48 pm: A total of 17 Metro Stations have been shut in the national capital.
5:38 pm: BJP working president JP Nadda will lead a march to congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government at the Centre for implementing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) on Monday.
4:59 pm: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has now closed the gates of 13 metro stations, including the busy Rajiv Chowk, to restrict the movement of anti-CAA agitators in the national capital, which has been witnessing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
4:35 pm: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation says entry and exit gates of Johri Enclave, Shiv Vihar and Dilshad Garden are closed. Trains will not be halting at this station.
4:30 pm: A protest against CAA is underway in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh even as Section 144 (which prohibits assembly of more than four people in an area) is imposed in the state. Protesters have torched a vehicle in Bulandshahr where a large number of policemen have gathered now.
4:00 pm: Mangaluru Police said it has released the journalists who were detained today morning,
3:50 pm: Entry and exit gates of Jamia Millia Islamia are closed. Trains will not be halting at this station, DMRC said.
3:44 pm: Facing criticism over his support to the amended citizenship law, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said he "guaranteed" that minorities will not get a raw deal "as long as we are around".
"Just look at the efforts we made for the uplift of the minorities. Those who were in power earlier are engaged in inciting people. They should tell us what the minorities got during their reign," Kumar said.
3:31 pm: Violent clashes erupted in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur. Protesters hurled stones at security forces.
3:22pm: Bodies of the two people, who died in the violence during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Mangaluru yesterday, have been handed over to their families.
3:15pm: Entry and exit gates of Jaffrabad and Maujpur-Babarpur have been closed. Trains will not be halting at these stations, according to DMRC.
3:05pm: A day after West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said that let an impartial organisation like UN or National Human Rights Commission form a committee to see how many people were in favour of Citizenship Amendment Act, she said, "I mentioned only opinion poll. I said the Human Rights Commission and the UN are impartial institutions."
3:00pm: According to Bhim Army, the police tried to detain Azad at Jama Masjid but he managed to get away. However, he was detained later near Daryaganj, PTI reported.
2:55pm: Hundreds of protesters moving towards Jantar Mantar from Jama Masjid, led by the Bhim Army, were stopped near Delhi Gate as police barricaded the area.
2:51pm: A seven-member team of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), headed by SSP (Investigation) Manzil Saini (IPS), visited Jamia Millia Islamia today. They inspected the University library and inquired about the incident that took place on 15 December 2019.
2:45pm: Delhi Gate metro station has also been closed, as per DMRC.
2:09pm: Rapid Action Force (RAF) deployed near Jafrabad metro station
2:08pm: Delhi Police conduct flag march in Seelampur. VP Surya, DCP Northeast Delhi says,"There's peace in area today. 10 companies of paramilitary forces deployed&1500 other security personnel also present in the sensitive areas here. Drones also being used to monitor the situation."
1:50pm: Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad detained by Delhi Police
1:28pm: Protests being held at Delhi's Jama Masjid. Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad also present.
1:26pm: Police conducts flag march in Varanasi
1:10pm: Citizenship Amendment Act does not take away the rights of any citizen of India. I appeal to the state governments to take the strict action against people who are providing support to those involved in violence: Union Minister Smriti Irani
12:46pm: Entry and exit gates of Chawri Bazar, Lal Quila and Jama Masjid have been closed, tweets DMRC
12:42pm: Delhi Mahila Cong chief and Pranab Mukherjee's daughter Sharmistha detained near Amit Shah's residence, reports PTI quoting police
11:30 AM: The Police is keeping an eye through five drone cameras in North East Delhi. Section 144 has been imposed in 12 out of 14 stations of North East Delhi. Police are conducting flag march and keeping a close watch on social media accounts even as protests are planned in the national capital.
11:00 AM: BSP chief Mayawati says, "We have always opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act and we have been protesting against it since the beginning but like other parties, we don't believe in the destruction of public property and violence."
10:30 AM: Mobile internet services resumed in Assam on Friday, ten days after it was snapped in the wake of violent protests.
10:20 AM: An FIR has been registered against 17 people including Samajwadi Party leaders, MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq and Feroz Khan in connection with violence on December 19 in UP's Sambhal.
10:05 AM: Ahmedabad Police has detained 49 people in connection with violence during protests against Citizenship Amendment Act yesterday. Among the detainees, is Congress corporator Shehzad Khan(in middle in plain white shirt).
9:50 AM: Delhi Police has denied permission to Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad for a march from Jama Masjid to Jantar Mantar today.
9:45 PM: DMRC has announced all metro stations are open in Delhi.
9:30 AM: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has closed entry and exit gates of Jamia Millia Islamia and Jasola Vihar Shaheen Bagh. Trains will not be halting at these stations.
9:15 AM: Karnataka Home Minister, Basavaraj Bommai, said, "Due to misinformation these protests are happening across the state. Some elements are misguiding. Some of the protesters were prepared to set ablaze Mangalore North police station it was then police shoot them."
9:00 AM: US Senior State department official on comments on the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC, saying : "Obviously, we are seeing an active political debate, discussions in parliament, protests by people who are espousing their views on that law, and we’re also fully aware that there is a judicial process that’s underway."
8:30 AM: Bhaskar Rao, Commissioner of Bengaluru City Police, said Section 144 will remain imposed in the city till Friday. As many as 24 people have been booked and eight cases have been registered after massive protests on Thursday, he said. Cases have also been registered against MLA Rizwan Arshad and noted historian Ramachandra Guha.
8:15 AM: The Karnataka government has suspended mobile Internet services in Dakshina Kannada district from 10 pm on Thursday night for the next 48 hours after two persons were killed in police firing during violent protests in Mangaluru. Curfew has also been extended to entire Mangaluru city commissionerate till December 22 midnight.