MUMBAI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- India's western state of Maharashtra witnessed several violent incidents of protests and stray incidents of vandalism and stone-pelting across its rural belt over the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), media reports said Saturday.
State transport buses were damaged in three districts of Hingoli, Beed and Parbhani following massive demonstrations in these districts though police managed to keep the situation under control, said the news report by The Hindu newspaper.
"We have forbidden people from carrying flags or banners of any political person or party...the message that we intend to send is that we are politically aware citizens keen on safeguarding our Constitution," said Imtiaz Jaleel, a law-maker from the state in the country's lower house of Parliament, who led a demonstration in Aurangabad, 368 km from Mumbai.
Similar protests were also undertaken in districts of Pune, Kolhapur and Sangli in the western state.
"The CAA and the NRC run contrary to the country's spirit of pluralism and religious toleration. Religion cannot be made the basis of granting or depriving citizenship. If the NRC is implemented, it will lead to untold hardships on the Muslim community residing in this country for centuries, while at the same time destroying the social fabric of this nation," said the news report, quoting Anjum Inamdar, founder of an association for the welfare of Muslims.
