Million March: Huge rally by civil society denounces CAA, NRC in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Perhaps for the first time after the formation of Telangana, the Hyderabad city witnessed a massive protest - Million March - to express opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens at Hyderabad's Dharna Chowk on Saturday. The protest was organised by about 40 Muslim and civil society organizations.

Though the police had said that they would allow only 1000 people, the turnout was so huge that the police had to open NTR Stadium behind Dharna Chowk, in which many of the protestors were accommodated.

Sporting national flags, people took out a bike rally from different parts of the city and conglomerated at the dharna site chanting slogans like 'Inqilab Zindabad' and 'PM Modi down down'.

"This protest isn't just about the CAA or NRC. It's about all the atrocities that are being committed against minorities by the right-wing activists," said Mohd Imran, a student who turned up at the protest along with his friends.

Huge number of Muslim women and senior citizens also participated in the protest. Shop owners in markets like the Pathargatti (in the Old City) and Abids areas downed their shutters in solidarity and showed up at Dharna Chowk.

Meanwhile, traffic was thrown out of gear at several junctions and RTC Crossroads. Commuters returning homes on a work-day evening were gridlocked trying to find a way out to move one way or the other.

Traffic had come to a grinding halt in the lanes and by-lanes covering a radius of about 3 km. Commuters coming from RTC X Roads, Chikkadapally, Vidyanagar, VST towards Indira Park were asked by the traffic to take several lanes and by-lanes of Gandhi Nagar to go towards Kavadiguda.

This led to heavy traffic jam in the lanes and by-lanes as well. Adding to this, the lanes around several streets were used for vehicle parking by those attending the meeting making it tough for the commuters whom the traffic police had diverted into the lanes.

The worst part of it was that the commuters trying to finding their way to drive towards the Secretariat and NTR Gardens were seen queuing up at the access points of the Tank Bund road at various places.

At many places with no traffic policeman around, the commuters took upon themselves to ease the movement of traffic.