RESPONDING to Left parties’ call to organise countywide protest on December 19, 2019 against CAA and NRC; Left activists, mainly of CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML), and at some places SUCI and AIFB, came out on the streets, in hundreds, at least in 33 districts in Uttar Pradesh as per available reports so far. At some places, Sharad Yadav’s party and some other smalerl parties also joined. They were joined by large number of people beyond Left’s influence including minorities, students and youths.
            Left’s joint programme included procession, demonstration and submitting joint memoranda to the governor through the district administration. Left protesters came out on the streets, despite police threats, intimidation, house arrests of the district leaders at several places. They came out with placards against CAA and NRC, flags and raising slogans. Large police contingents cordoned off the protesters, erected barricades, arrested and detained them at several places. Despite these, people assembled, staged demonstrations and submitted memoranda.
Samajwadi Party also independently organised statewide programme on December 19 against CAA and NRC. At some places SP also joined Left’s programmes.
 
December 19 Protest in Varanasi  
 
            In Varanasi, three Left parties, RJD, Lok Manch, Congress, some old socialists, some social organisations, students of BHU and local college joined the movement. Being PM’s constituency, Yogi government took extra measures to prevent any form of protest. Despite police attempts, people assembled in lanes and by-lanes and rushed to the spot of assembly with flags and placards and started the procession shouting slogans. Police put up barricades and started arresting the leaders and others. 56 protesters were arrested and sent to jail. In addition to Section 151 CrPC, police filed false cases under several criminal sections. The arrested persons in jail include a nursing mother, separated from her one-year old infant, and her husband.
For three days none was allowed to meet the arrested protesters in jail. After state leaders of three Left parties moved together along with others meeting the district civil and police administration, the visitors were allowed to meet the arrested persons in jail. Large number of intellectuals including BHU professors came out in support of the movement.
The police did not disclose the list of arrested persons and administration propagated that only some Muslims were arrested. The corporate media followed that line. Among the 56 arrested persons, 13 are Muslims. The arrested persons include district’s secretaries of CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML), RJD district president and district convener of Lok Manch; eight DCMs of CPI(M) and other Left functionaries.  
            Police also arrested and sent to jail eight students at Dashashyamedh Math and four BHU students at Lanka who were on their way to join the main protest rally. Five more CPI(M) and CPI activists, including one district committee member of CPI(M) were arrested and sent to jail when a protest rally was brought out at Pindra Tehsil in the district.  Thus, 73 activists and leaders are lodged in jail.
 
DECEMBER 19 PROTEST IN OTHER DISTRICTS
 
At Kashganj, CPI(M)’s district committee independently organised programme on December 18, on CAA, NRC and on peasants issues; handbills were distributed in villages. Police raided Party office and district secretary’s residence; warned against bringing out the procession. Yet, hundreds of people assembled at Party office and big contingent of police surrounded it; demonstration and gate meetings were held outside the Party office gate; police arrested and kept all protesters under detention. On December 19 public meetings took place in eight villages. In Deoria, about 300 persons assembled at district headquarter; police arrested and detained all of them for the whole day; memorandum was submitted. In Bareilly: Party DCS was arrested at 2 AM at his residence; police cordoned off; memorandum was submitted. At Lucknow, from CPI(M) office a procession proceeded towards district collector’s office near Parivartan Chowk. More people joined on way and about 800 people participated in the rally. Thousands participated in strong rallies held simultaneously at many places. At Etawa, people marched from Ambedkar Park to collectorate where more than 2,000 strong rally was held; memorandum was submitted; cases filed against 2,000 unknown persons. At Ballia, hundreds of people led by five Left parties assembled at railway station for the rally; police cordoned off and did not allow the procession to come out. When barricade was broken, the participants were arrested and detained for the day. At Allahabad, a small contingent of four Left parties assembled at iconic Sahid Roshan Singh Park which was cordoned by police; meeting was held; CAA copy was burnt. But the main contingents preceded from different locations, assembled near bus stand and marched to collectorate where about 6,000 strong rally was held, young Muslim minorities joined in large number; memorandum was submitted. At Pratapgarh, 300 strong dharna was staged in the collectorate. At Mau, district secretaries of all three Left parties were kept under house arrest; 50 persons assembled police prevented protesters from holding meeting. In Chandauli, at Chakia block 200 strong Left and Swaraj Abhiyan staged demonstration at Gandhi Park. At Chandauli block 60 persons assembled and submitted memorandum. At Lakhimpur, 150 persons assembled near court, demonstration staged, meeting held, memo submitted. At Mirzapur, 40 Left activists assembled near bus stand; police barricaded; memo submitted. At Aligarh, police cordoned about 70 Left activists, including some from AMU, near CPI office; memorandum was submitted on CAA, NRC and separately against police attack on AMU. At Agra, 60 Left activists assembled at Shahid Samrak; staged demonstration; CAA copy was burnt; meetings were held in 4 villages. At Saharanpur, 25 CPI(M) activists assembled at Party office for the programme; police cordoned off Party office and did not allow the people to go out; memo submitted. At Meerut, about 150 Left and SP activists staged demonstration near collectorate. At Moradabad, 200 Left activists marched from local park to Kotowali; staged demonstration and submitted memorandum. At Mathura, 70 Left activists assembled near the court; staged demonstration and submitted memorandum. At Bulandshahar, 200 CPI(M) activists assembled at Party office; marched to collectorate; police prevented; memo submitted. Bhaichara Manch organised programme in different parts of the district. At Basti, 350 Left and Swaraj Abhiyan activists marched from Party office; broke police barricade; they were put under detention; memo submitted. At Ambedkar Nagar, 50 activists of CPI(M) assembled near bus stand; police barricaded; dharna staged; memo submitted. At Faizabad, several Left activists including 5 from CPI(M) were arrested from their respective places and kept under detention; despite that about 100 Left activists brought out rally and held meeting; police barricaded. At Fatehpur, CPI(M) and CPI staged joint demonstration at the collectorate. At Jaunpur, 60 CPI(M) and CPI staged demonstration, held meeting inside the collectorate and submitted memorandum. At Kanpur, 150 Left activists staged dharna inside Ramasray park as police prevented them from coming out. At Gazipur, 60 Left activists brought out rally from Town Hall to collectorate; staged demonstration, held meeting and submitted memorandum. Memoranda were submitted in mass deputation in Bhadoi, Sultanpur, Gonda, Azamgarh, Fatehpur, Bahraich and Ita districts.
 
 DECEMBER 30 PROTESTS
 
The political parties, social organisations and others at Varanasi decided to carry forward the movement by organising programme with slogan ‘Sanvidhan Bachao, Desh Bachao’ (Protect Constitution, Protect Country) by gathering before Ambedkar’s statue, reading preamble of the Constitution, taking pledge en-masse, staging dharna-satyagraha and submitting memorandum on December 30. The Left parties separately gave call to organise similar programmes in other districts. On December 30, the programme could be organised partly or fully at least in 34 districts.
At Varanasi, people assembled at Ambedkar Park, took pledge and marched to the bank of Varuna River where dharna-satyagraha was staged, though it was cordoned by police. I also joined the programme as an expression of Party centre’s solidarity with the fighting comrades of UP.     
 
SOME CONCLUSIONS
BJP and Yogi government wanted to make CAA and NRC as Muslim centric issue, for communal division and for Hindu consolidation behind them in UP. Police targeted Muslim areas; so far killed 22 Muslims without taking responsibility for their killings except one that too in ‘self defence’. Thousands have been arrested and sent to jail including minors and students; the CM openly is talking about revenge.
In such a situation, the call given by the Left parties and the initiative taken by them in the districts in UP, particularly at Varanasi, and large scale involvement of the students in the movement have drawn wide appreciation of the people - both Hindus and Muslims – more among Muslims - mainly due to burning problems of the toiling sections and Modi and Yogi governments’ policy failures and due to secular credentials of the Left. Yogi government miserably failed to communalise the issue and the movement.
But, a dangerous situation exists as police and civil administration have highly been communalised in UP as is evident from their actions, speeches and comments with anti-Muslim tone.