NCP Equates Amit Shah With General Dyer Over Police Action Against Anti-CAA Protesters

NCP leader Nawab Malik lashed out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday over the police action against those protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), comparing him to "General Dyer". Malik's tweet targeting Shah echoed Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's criticism. "Just like General Dyer fired at the Jallianwala Bagh, Amit shah is firing on people. He is not less than General Dyer," Malik, the chief spokesperson of the Nationalist Congress Party, tweeted.

Reginald Dyer, a British Army officer, ordered firing into a crowd at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on April 13, 1919, killing at least 400 persons. The incident is still seen as one of the most brutal massacre of Indians under the colonial rule.

The Delhi Police, which comes directly under the Union home minister, had allegedly dragged students of Jamia Millia Islamia University from library and mosque and beat them black and blue. It was reported that at elast two students suffered bullet injuriy but Delhi police denied opening fire on students, who were protesting against the "divisive" Citizenship Amendment Act.

Earlier, Maharashtra CM Thackeray, whose party, Shiv Sena, has formed alliance with the NCP and the Congress, had likened the action against students of Jamia Milia Islamia University in Delhi during an anti-CAA protest to the massacre at the Jallianwala Bagh.

The Maharashtra chief minister has already announced that the Citizenship Amendment Act will not be implemented in the state pending Supreme Court's decision on please challenging its constitutional validity. "Let us first see what the court decides on CAA, we will clear our stance on it then," Thackeray had told news agency ANI on Sunday.

Thackeray's party Shiv Sena had earlier supported the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha with some suggestions, but staged a walkout during voting on it in the Rajya Sabha, saying there was no clarity on questions raised over it by the party.