Now, marriages, photo-shoots & xmas festivities turn anti-CAA protest venues in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 23: Not just open streets and college campuses, but even marriages, pre-wedding photo-shoots and Christmas festivities seem to be turning into protest venues against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Kerala.
Cutting across religion, youths from various parts of the state have posted their wedding photos, in which the bride and groom hold placards saying 'No CAA.. No NRC" at the marriage venues, on social media, all of which have gone viral.
In some viral videos, brides and grooms walk to the reception venue holding placards criticising the CAA, while in others, they are initiated into the hall by their friends raising slogans against the Act and expressing solidarity with those protesting against it across the country.
In one video, a beautiful bride, wearing a richly decorated red lehenga, holds an anti-CAA placard in one hand while walking hand-in-hand with the groom through a busy road.
Their friends raise slogans against the CAA and walk behind them.
Huge posters, usually erected by friends to greet the newly-wed couple in villages, have also become a space for anti-CAA slogans.
A poster with photos of a couple appeared in politically volatile Kannur district recently and read "India will not budge...we will not be silent".
In one of the photos, which has gone viral, a Hindu groom wearing a Muslim skull cap walks along with the bride, apparently as a mark of protest against Prime Minister Modi's controversial remarks that those indulging in arson can be identified by their clothes.
Arun Gopi and Asha Shekhar, who recently shot their 'save-the-date' photos, holding placards against CAA and NRC, said they wanted to send a message through the innovative idea.
'Save-the-date' is a practice among youth to announce the wedding date.
The couple, who will tie the knot on January 30, said they decided to make the pre-wedding photos a political statement and so came out with photos with anti-CAA messages.
The photos were an instant hit on the social media.
A group of students of Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam recently organised their annual Christmas celebrations on the campus in a different way-with Santa Clauses carrying placards and posters against CAA and holding the photos of national leaders like Gandhiji and Ambedkar.
Kerala wedding couples holding anti NRC / CAA banner @wedding ceremony
— SIRAJ KATTUKULAM (@sirajdolphin) December 22, 2019
If Keralaites decided to protect,
No Samghi can do anything @CMOKerala pic.twitter.com/21EVdnQ9Ii
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Police arrested Kejriwal's aide at same time his anticipatory bail plea was being heard: Atishi
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Minister Atishi alleged on Saturday that the city police arrested Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar at the same time his anticipatory bail plea was being heard in court.
Kumar was arrested on Saturday in connection with the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal, officials said.
He was picked up from the chief minister's residence by a Delhi Police team around noon, a senior officer said.
Addressing a press conference, Atishi said Kumar had filed a plea for anticipatory bail before the Tis Hazari court.
Kumar was picked up for questioning by the Delhi Police around 11 am. As soon as he was taken for questioning, news channels started saying he had been arrested, she claimed.
"This shows the BJP's conspiracy. Their intention is to disturb our election campaign and Arvind Kejriwal," she said.
Atishi said the Tis Hazari court considered Kumar's matter urgent and agreed to hear his plea on Saturday itself.
"The court commenced hearing on his plea at 3:55 pm and within 20 minutes, the Delhi Police arrested him at the Civil Lines police station. As soon as his lawyers began arguments, the police learnt that their case is weak and Kumar would get relief. So they arrested Kumar," she claimed.
Atishi alleged that when the court was dictating its order on the matter at 4:55 pm, the Delhi Police lawyer appeared through videoconferencing and said Kumar had already been arrested.
Kumar's anticipatory bail plea has become "infructuous" as he has been arrested, the court observed.
The chief minister's aide, accused of assaulting Maliwal on May 13 at Kejriwal's residence, was arrested two days after an FIR was registered against him at the Civil Lines police station.
Additional Sessions Judge Sushil Anuj Tyagi, while dictating the order to the court staff on the anticipatory bail plea, noted that Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Kumar Srivastava appeared through videoconferencing around 4:45 pm and informed the court that Kumar had already been arrested.
Atishi said, "Even they knew that their case was weak and if the case was heard, Bibhav Kumar would get bail. That is why tomorrow (Sunday) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will lead all AAP leaders and to the BJP headquarters and court arrest."
Kejriwal said he and other AAP leaders would go to the BJP headquarters on Sunday "so that the prime minister can send anyone he wants to jail".
The BJP is saying they would send AAP MP Raghav Chadha and Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj to jail, he claimed at a press briefing, hours after Kumar was arrested.
