The meeting which was addressed by Bollywood actor Urmila Matondkar and human rights activist Teesta Setalvad titled ‘Non-violent people’s movement against CAA, NRC and NPR’ was held in Kothrud on Thursday on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary.

According to the police, the activists gathered without any permission in Gandhi Maidan in Kothrud and raised slogans against the event and the organisers. The activists indulged in an unlawful assembly and violated the Bombay Police Act, 1951, (Maharashtra) Section 37 (1) (3) which was in force.

Assistant police inspector VV Patil who is investigating the case said, “The activists of Hindu Rashtra Sena were arrested for violating prohibitory orders and disrupting the meet.”

Matondkar in her speech compared the CAA with the British era Rowlatt Act and termed it as a black law. She said, “Rowlatt Act and the CAA 2019 are the two acts that will be branded as ‘black Acts’ in history. The CAA is anti-poor people and anti-Muslim. We do not want an Act which ascertains my identity and citizenship based on religion. It is in our Constitution that you cannot discriminate based on religion, language, gender or region.”

Rowlatt Acts, (February 1919), legislation was passed by the Imperial Legislative Council, the legislature of British India. The acts allowed certain political cases to be tried without juries and permitted internment of suspects without trial.

Teesta Setalvad said, “The right-wing forces never agree with a republic and secular state whereas Gandhi, a symbol of both, said India will remain secular and there will be no correlation between politics and religion.”

Others present at the event included Bishop Thomas Dabre and Kumar Saptarshi, president, Maharashtra Gandhi Smarak Nidhi.

The original report may be read here.