Police lobbed tear gas shells, resorted to baton charge and fired in the air to disperse anti-CAA protesters in Mangaluru, as thousands of demonstrators hit the streets in many cities and towns across Karnataka on Thursday defying prohibitory orders.
Scores of people including historian Ramachandra Guha were among demonstators who were detained and later released.
Vehicles were set on fire and stones hurled at police personnel as protesters allegedly went on the rampage in Mangaluru.
Police retaliated by firing in the air to warn them after tear gas shells and a baton-charge proved futile.
Religious preachers too made a fervent appeal to people through loudspeakers of a place of worship not to resort to violence.
The Mangaluru police commissioner has imposed curfew with immediate effect till the midnight of Friday in Central sub-division of the city covering five police stations, a top district official told PTI.
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Prohibitory orders clamped in Bengaluru under section 144 of the CrPC that bans assembly of more than four people had no effect as people in large numbers came out onto the streets opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Sensing deterioration of the law and order situation, district authorities in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Kalaburagi, Mangaluru, Belagavi, Hubballi, Shivamogga, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and Chikkaballapura imposed section 144 for the next three days starting from Thursday.
Police had made elaborate arrangements to enforce the ban order but to no avail as demonstrators started thronging important locations of various cities to take part in the protests.
In Bengaluru, demonstrations took place at the Town Hall where, among others, historian Ramachandra Guha participated.
While he was protesting with a placard, which read "CAA is against the constitution", policemen held him by his hand and took him away from the venue in a government bus kept reserved only to take away the protesters.
He was later released.
Soon after his arrest, people in hundreds swarmed the Town Hall. Buses parked near the venue by police to take away the protestors proved insufficient.
Police personnel were seen persuading the protesters to withdraw their protests but it did not have any effect as more and more people started crowding the venue, resulting in a traffic jam.
Long traffic snarls were witnessed in many parts of the Central Business District as a cascading effect of the protests at the Town Hall.
Holding placards and waving the tricolour, protesters raised slogans such as 'Hum Le Ke Rahenge Azadi' and 'Withdraw CAA and NRC' and 'CAA is against constitution.'
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "we have not given permission for any agitation in favour or against the law, and section 144 (prohibitory orders) were in place."
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