Anti-CAA protests and the Shaheen Bagh sit-in, December 2019 - March 2020

What the government did

1. Dec 2019

   OtherState government, Uttar PradeshShare

   Recovery of property damage: the Uttar Pradesh government sent show-cause notices demanding payment for damage during the protests and threatened to confiscate property.

   MoreLess · 5 sources

   In March 2020 the Lucknow administration put up roadside banners with the photos, names and addresses of people accused of violence. On 9 March 2020 the Allahabad High Court, acting on its own, held the banners an unwarranted interference in privacy and ordered their removal. On 12 March 2020 the Supreme Court referred the state's appeal to a larger bench without staying the High Court order. On 18 February 2022 the state told the Supreme Court it had withdrawn the show-cause notices issued since December 2019, and the court ordered a refund of amounts recovered, leaving the state free to proceed under its 2020 recovery law.

   Legal basis: A government order on recovery of damages, which the state said follows the Supreme Court's guidelines in Re: Destruction of Public and Private Properties (2009); later the Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damage to Public and Private Property Act, 2020

   • more than 200 people from whom payment was demanded (late December 2019), said Uttar Pradesh government (as reported by Al Jazeera) [6]
   • 53 people named on the Lucknow banners, said Lucknow administration (as reported by Scroll.in) [7]
   • 274 show-cause notices withdrawn, said State of Uttar Pradesh (recorded in the Supreme Court order) [31]

   Court: On 9 March 2020 the Allahabad High Court ordered the Lucknow District Magistrate and Police Commissioner to remove the banners and told the state not to put up such banners without authority of law. [32]

   Court: On 12 March 2020 the Supreme Court sent the state's appeal against that order to a bench of at least three judges. [33]

   Court: On 18 February 2022 the Supreme Court recorded the withdrawal of the 274 show-cause notices and ordered refunds, without prejudice to proceedings before the Claims Tribunal under the 2020 Act. [31]

   Sources [6][7][32][33][31]

2. 15 Dec 2019

   Lathi chargePolice, DelhiShare

   Delhi Police, which reports to the Union Home Ministry, entered the Jamia Millia Islamia campus on the evening of 15 December after clashes nearby in which buses were set on fire, and used batons on people inside, including in the reading rooms of the two library buildings.

   MoreLess · 6 sources

   The chief proctor and the Vice-Chancellor said police entered without permission. Students said police beat people who were studying in the library and not protesting; library staff described broken doors, smashed CCTV cameras and blood on the floor. A senior police officer, Chinmoy Biswal, said about 4,000 people were protesting, police acted to disperse them when the crowd burned buses, police entered the campus to maintain order, and six officers were wounded. In a June 2020 reply to petitions in the Delhi High Court, Delhi Police called the allegations of police brutality an 'utter falsehood' and said it had to enter the university because rioters were using it as a shield to throw stones. Accounts are contested.

   • about 4,000 people protesting near Jamia on 15 December, said Chinmoy Biswal, senior Delhi Police officer (quoted by Al Jazeera) [1]
   • 6 police officers wounded, said Chinmoy Biswal, senior Delhi Police officer (quoted by Al Jazeera) [1]
   • about 200, many of them students people injured, said Najma Akhtar, Jamia Vice-Chancellor [14]
   • more than 100 people with injuries brought to al-Shifa and Holy Family hospitals, said hospital officials (quoted by Al Jazeera) [1]

   Sources [13][14][15][46][1][16]

3. 15 Dec 2019

   Tear gasPolice, DelhiShare

   Students and library staff said police fired tear gas inside the Jamia library reading rooms, and that students broke windows to escape the smoke; reporters found the remains of tear gas shells there the next day.

   MoreLess · 3 sources

   Al Jazeera reported that tear gas was fired into some classrooms. A senior officer, Chinmoy Biswal, said: "If it had been a peaceful mob, it would have been dispersed peacefully."

   • more than 100 people with injuries brought to al-Shifa and Holy Family hospitals, said hospital officials (quoted by Al Jazeera) [1]

   Sources [13][15][1]

4. 15 Dec 2019

   Lathi chargePolice, Uttar PradeshShare

   Police and paramilitary forces (PAC and RAF) entered the Aligarh Muslim University campus on the evening of 15 December 2019 after a clash at the Sir Syed Gate, used batons and tear gas, and entered hostels.

   MoreLess · 5 sources

   Students said police beat them and used abusive language and religious slurs. The Superintendent of Police (City) said about 1,500 students broke the gate and threw stones and about 30 policemen were injured. The university said police entered at its call. On 7 January 2020 the Allahabad High Court asked the NHRC to inquire. LiveLaw reported that the NHRC report found the use of force by police justified and necessary, but criticised policemen seen caning apprehended students and damaging motorcycles; it recommended compensation for six grievously injured students and action against those policemen.

   • at least 100, six of them seriously students injured, said The Hindu [20]
   • about 1,500 students who broke the Sir Syed Gate, said SP (City) Abhishek (quoted by The Hindu) [20]
   • about 30 policemen injured, said SP (City) Abhishek (quoted by The Hindu) [20]
   • 26 persons detained, of whom at least 15 are not AMU students, said Aligarh Muslim University (as reported by The Leaflet) [23]

   Court: On 8 September 2022 the Allahabad High Court dismissed the petitions after the state said it had complied with the NHRC recommendations meant for it. [22]

   Sources [20][1][23][21][22]

5. 18 Dec 2019

   Section 144 / 163Police, KarnatakaShare

   Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao prohibited assemblies of five or more people and any protest, procession or public meeting in the city from 6 am on 19 December to 12 am on 21 December 2019, citing calls for an all-India bandh against the CAA and NRC.

   MoreLess · 1 source

   On 13 February 2020 the Karnataka High Court held that the order did not stand the test of judicial scrutiny under the parameters laid down by the Supreme Court in Anuradha Bhasin and Ramlila Maidan, and did not formally set it aside only because the order had worked itself out.

   Legal basis: Section 144 CrPC (Order No. SB/Gu.Va/Prohibition/50/2019 dated 18 December 2019, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City)

   Court: On 13 February 2020 the Karnataka High Court (Chief Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Hemant Chandangoudar) held the order illegal. [36]

   Sources [36]

6. 19 Dec 2019

   Internet shutdownState government, Uttar PradeshShare

   An order of the Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Awanish Kumar Awasthi, suspended mobile internet and SMS in Lucknow from 3 pm on 19 December to noon on 21 December 2019, citing possible misuse of SMS and social media to inflame the law and order situation.

   MoreLess · 7 sources

   Internet was also suspended in other districts, including Sambhal, Aligarh, Mau, Ghaziabad and Azamgarh (see figures). On 21 December the suspension was extended, and mobile internet was cut again in many parts of the state, including Lucknow, on 26 December.

   • 14 districts with internet and SMS suspended on 20 December, said Hindustan Times [30]
   • at least 21 cities in Uttar Pradesh with mobile internet suspended on 20 December, said MediaNama [29]

   Sources [29][40][3][30][26][4][5]

7. 20 Dec 2019

   FiringPolice, Uttar PradeshShare

   Deaths in Uttar Pradesh during the protests of 19 to 21 December 2019 are contested.

   MoreLess · 6 sources

   Police officials said police did not open fire on protesters: on 21 December IG (Law and Order) Praveen Kumar said none of the deaths was due to police firing, and DGP O.P. Singh said that not a single bullet was fired at protesters and that protesters died in firing among themselves. On 24 December the Bijnor Superintendent of Police said that a constable had shot Mohammad Suleman in self-defence after being shot himself, the first official admission of police firing in the state; Suleman's family said police took him into a lane and shot him. In Meerut, the families of five men killed on 20 December said police shot them; police said they used baton charges, tear gas and firing to control the crowd but killed no one, and that the men must have been killed by armed protesters. In February 2020 the state told the Allahabad High Court that no one lost his life due to police action.

   • 15, plus 1 deaths in Uttar Pradesh from 20 to 21 December, plus one in Lucknow on 19 December, said IG (Law and Order) Praveen Kumar (quoted by Hindustan Times) [26]
   • 19 of 27 nationwide deaths in Uttar Pradesh, said Al Jazeera (agency report) [6]
   • 22 deaths in Uttar Pradesh covered by the state's reply to the Allahabad High Court, said UP police submissions (as reported by The Caravan) [25]
   • 5 men killed in Meerut on 20 December, said families and police records (as reported by The Caravan) [25]

   Sources [24][25][26][4][5][6]

8. 6 Mar 2020

   UAPA chargePolice, DelhiShare

   On 6 March 2020 the Delhi Police Crime Branch registered FIR 59/2020.

   MoreLess · 3 sources

   It alleges that the communal riots in north-east Delhi on 23 to 25 February 2020 were the result of a pre-planned conspiracy by JNU student Umar Khalid and associates, including road blockades by women and children near anti-CAA protest sites. Offences under the UAPA were added later, and students and protest organisers were charged. The accused deny the allegations; Natasha Narwal's counsel, for example, said she took part in the sit-in protests but was not involved in any violent protest. On 15 June 2021 the Delhi High Court granted Narwal bail, holding that the charge-sheet did not prima facie show offences under sections 15, 17 or 18 of the UAPA, and said that 'in its anxiety to suppress dissent', the line between the right to protest and terrorist activity seemed to be getting blurred in the mind of the State. On 18 June 2021 the Supreme Court directed that the High Court's judgment not be treated as a precedent, without interfering with the bail. On 5 January 2026 the Supreme Court refused bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, finding that the prosecution material prima facie attributed to them a central role in the alleged conspiracy, and granted bail to five other accused.

   Legal basis: FIR 59/2020, initially under sections 147, 148, 149 and 120B IPC; UAPA sections added later

   Court: On 15 June 2021 the Delhi High Court granted bail to Natasha Narwal and held that no UAPA offence was prima facie made out against her. [37]

   Court: On 18 June 2021 the Supreme Court said the High Court judgment was not to be treated as a precedent, and did not interfere with the bail. [38]

   Court: On 5 January 2026 the Supreme Court refused bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam and granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed. [39]

   Sources [39][37][38]

9. 24 Mar 2020

   OtherPolice, DelhiShare

   Delhi Police cleared the Shaheen Bagh protest site on the morning of 24 March 2020, citing the COVID-19 lockdown and prohibitory orders, after the remaining protesters refused a request to leave.

   MoreLess · 5 sources

   Police removed the tents, stage and art installations; police also cleared the protest sites at Jamia and Hauz Rani. Protest graffiti at Jamia and Shaheen Bagh was painted over the same day: protesters blamed the police, while a senior police officer denied any police role and the South Delhi Municipal Corporation said it was not involved. Three protesters charged with disobeying restrictions on gatherings got bail on 30 March 2020. The Supreme Court judgment says the site was cleared with some police action to remove structures.

   Legal basis: Section 144 CrPC prohibitory orders in Delhi; the FIR against those removed cites the IPC and Section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897

   • 9 people detained at Shaheen Bagh, including six women, said Joint CP (Southern Range) Devesh Srivastava (quoted by The Indian Express) [34]
   • 10 people arrested at Shaheen Bagh (four men and six women), said DCP (South East) R.P. Meena (quoted by Hindustan Times) [35]

   Sources [34][35][8][9][10]

10. 7 Oct 2020

    OtherCourtShare

    Supreme Court judgment in Amit Sahni v Commissioner of Police (Civil Appeal No. 3282 of 2020; Kaul, Bose and Murari JJ).

    MoreLess · 1 source

    The court held that public ways and public spaces cannot be occupied indefinitely, that dissent must be expressed in designated places, and that the administration ought to keep such areas clear. It also noted that court-appointed interlocutors failed to find a solution and criticised the administration for neither negotiating nor acting.

    Sources [10]

Outcome

The Shaheen Bagh site was cleared on 24 March 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown. The CAA was not repealed. On 7 October 2020 the Supreme Court held that public ways cannot be occupied indefinitely for protest.

Background

Who governed at the start of the protest. Each action above counts for the party in power where and when it happened.

Centre government

BJPNDA, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

State government

AAP in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister

Places

Shaheen Bagh, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Friends Colony, Lucknow, Sambhal, Aligarh, Mau, Ghaziabad, Azamgarh, Rampur, Meerut, Bijnor, Bengaluru

Cause

Repeal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 and opposition to the proposed NPR and NRC

Organisers

Students of Jamia Millia Islamia; local residents and women of Shaheen Bagh; the Supreme Court noted an absence of leadership at Shaheen Bagh

Scale

Nationwide protests; at least 27 deaths nationwide by 27 December 2019, most of them in Uttar Pradesh; Shaheen Bagh road closed for about 100 days

What they said

Words in quote marks were matched in the source. Everything else is a summary; open the source for the exact words. Each statement says whether the speaker's party was in power or in opposition at the time.

Sources

1. 1India police storm Jamia, AMU to break citizenship law protestsAl Jazeera, 16 Dec 2019T5 SecondaryArchived 10 Oct 2020
2. 2Jamia violence: Two Delhi police officers fired guns during CAA protests, reveals internal inquiryScroll.in, 5 Jan 2020T5 SecondaryArchived 5 Jan 2020
3. 3Internet Shutdown: Lucknow Till December 21, Dakshina Kannada for 48 HoursPTI via The Wire, 20 Dec 2019T5 SecondaryArchived 20 Dec 2019
4. 4BJP-ruled state tops death toll in India citizenship law protestsAl Jazeera, 21 Dec 2019T5 SecondaryArchived 21 Dec 2019
5. 5Internet banned in India's Uttar Pradesh amid anger over killingsAl Jazeera, 27 Dec 2019T5 SecondaryArchived 27 Dec 2019
6. 6'Go to Pakistan', says India officer as leader praises crackdownAl Jazeera, 28 Dec 2019T5 SecondaryArchived 31 Oct 2020
7. 7'Shameless': Allahabad HC orders removal of posters with CAA protestors' addresses in UPScroll.in, 9 Mar 2020T5 SecondaryArchived 10 Mar 2020
8. 8Delhi Police Removes Jamia Graffiti, Twitter Reminds Them of Their 'Priorities'The Quint, 24 Mar 2020T5 SecondaryArchived 25 Mar 2020
9. 9Covid-19: Delhi court grants bail to three Shaheen Bagh protestors accused of defying lockdownScroll.in, 30 Mar 2020T5 SecondaryArchived 31 Mar 2020
10. 10Amit Sahni v Commissioner of Police and Ors, Civil Appeal No. 3282 of 2020Supreme Court of India, 7 Oct 2020T2 CourtArchived 14 Jun 2025
11. 11Delhi Assembly Passes Resolution Against NPR in Present FormThe Wire, Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar, 13 Mar 2020T4 ReportArchived 14 Mar 2020
12. 12CAA protests: 16 killed so far in Uttar Pradesh; 15 arrested from Delhi's DaryaganjScroll.in, 21 Dec 2019T5 SecondaryArchived 21 Dec 2019
13. 13'Undeclared emergency' in Jamia Millia: Students beaten up, teargassed by Delhi policeNewslaundry, Ismat Ara, 15 Dec 2019T4 ReportArchived 30 Dec 2019
14. 14Police entered campus without permission, we want high-level probe: Jamia VCThe News Minute, Sanyukta Dharmadhikari, 16 Dec 2019T4 ReportArchived 16 Dec 2019
15. 15Scenes from two Jamia libraries: '11 students hid in toilets, 4 girls'The Indian Express, Aranya Shankar, 17 Dec 2019T4 ReportArchived 17 Dec 2019
16. 16Delhi Police Files Reply to HC on Jamia Violence, Says Police Brutality Claims False, Dismisses Need For Separate Police ProbeThe Quint, 5 Jun 2020T5 SecondaryArchived 6 Jun 2020
17. 17Delhi: Jamia students say kept at police stations despite injuriesThe Indian Express, Sukrita Baruah, 17 Dec 2019T4 ReportArchived 17 Dec 2019
18. 1835 detained Jamia Millia Islamia University students releasedThe Hindu, 16 Dec 2019T5 SecondaryArchived 16 Dec 2019
19. 19Delhi Police denied it, but internal probe finds 2 of their personnel fired during Jamia protestsThe Indian Express, Mahender Singh Manral, 5 Jan 2020T4 ReportArchived 5 Jan 2020
20. 20At least 100 students injured in clash with police at AMUThe Hindu, Anuj Kumar, 17 Dec 2019T4 ReportArchived 17 Dec 2019
21. 21Anti-CAA Protests At AMU | Students Shouldn't Indulge In Such Activities Which Bring Bad Name To Great Educational Institutions: Allahabad HCLiveLaw, Sparsh Upadhyay, 14 Sep 2022T4 ReportArchived 15 Sep 2022
22. 22Mohd. Aman Khan v Union of India and others, Criminal Misc. Writ Petition No. 26085 of 2019, order of 8 September 2022High Court of Judicature at Allahabad (copy published by LiveLaw), 8 Sep 2022T2 CourtArchived 29 Nov 2023
23. 23Allahabad HC asks NHRC to probe into police action against AMU students amidst anti CAA agitationThe Leaflet, 7 Jan 2020T5 SecondaryArchived 9 Aug 2020
24. 24First official admission in UP: Bijnor man killed when police fired in self-defenceThe Indian Express, Manish Sahu and Krishn Kaushik, 24 Dec 2019T4 ReportArchived 24 Dec 2019
25. 25A year on, no FIRs against Meerut police for men killed in CAA protests, PIL languishes in Allahabad HCThe Caravan, Prabhjit Singh, 31 Dec 2020T4 ReportArchived 31 Dec 2020
26. 26Kanpur remains on edge, death toll in UP reaches 17, internet suspension extendedHindustan Times, 21 Dec 2019T5 SecondaryArchived 21 Dec 2019
27. 27Section 144 enforced in all of U.P. ahead of CAA protestThe Hindu, Omar Rashid, 19 Dec 2019T4 ReportArchived 19 Dec 2019
28. 28No permission given for protests as Section 144 in place: U.P. policePTI via The Hindu, 19 Dec 2019T5 SecondaryArchived 19 Dec 2019
29. 29Internet shut down in several cities of UP, KarnatakaMediaNama, Soumyarendra Barik, 20 Dec 2019T4 ReportArchived 23 Dec 2019
30. 30Mobile internet suspended in 14 UP districts, more than 3,500 detained after violent CAA protestsHindustan Times, 20 Dec 2019T5 SecondaryArchived 20 Dec 2019
31. 31Parwaiz Arif Titu v State of Uttar Pradesh, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 55 of 2020, order of 18 February 2022Supreme Court of India (copy on Indian Kanoon), 18 Feb 2022T2 Court
32. 32In Re: Banners Placed On Road Side In The City Of Lucknow v State of U.P., PIL No. 532 of 2020High Court of Judicature at Allahabad (copy on Indian Kanoon), 9 Mar 2020T2 CourtArchived 12 Mar 2020
33. 33State of Uttar Pradesh v High Court of Judicature at Allahabad (In Re Banners on Roadside in the City of Lucknow), SLP (C) No. 6286 of 2020, order of 12 March 2020Supreme Court of India (copy on Indian Kanoon), 12 Mar 2020T2 CourtArchived 16 Mar 2020
34. 34Shaheen Bagh sit-in protest cleared amid coronavirus lockdownThe Indian Express, Somya Lakhani, 24 Mar 2020T4 ReportArchived 24 Mar 2020
35. 35Police evict Shaheen Bagh protesters, clear protest sitesHindustan Times, Kainat Sarfaraz, 25 Mar 2020T4 ReportArchived 25 Mar 2020
36. 36Sowmya R Reddy v State of Karnataka, W.P. No. 52731 of 2019 and connected petitionsHigh Court of Karnataka (copy on Indian Kanoon), 13 Feb 2020T2 CourtArchived 10 Sep 2022
37. 37Natasha Narwal v State of NCT of Delhi, Crl.A. 82 of 2021Delhi High Court (copy on Indian Kanoon), 15 Jun 2021T2 Court
38. 38State of NCT of Delhi v Devangana Kalita, SLP (Crl.) No. 4289 of 2021, order of 18 June 2021Supreme Court of India (copy on Indian Kanoon), 18 Jun 2021T2 Court
39. 39Gulfisha Fatima v State (Govt. of NCT of Delhi), 2026 INSC 2Supreme Court of India (copy on Indian Kanoon), 5 Jan 2026T2 CourtArchived 17 Jan 2026
40. 40Violence in UP, Yogi Adityanath warns of revenge against arsonistsThe Indian Express, Asad Rehman, Manish Sahu and Avaneesh Mishra, 20 Dec 2019T4 ReportArchived 20 Dec 2019
41. 41Priyanka slams Yogi for 'revenge' remarkHindustan Times, Umesh Raghuvanshi, 31 Dec 2019T4 ReportArchived 31 Dec 2019
42. 42Post by Yogi Adityanath Office (@myogioffice) on X, 27 December 2019X (Twitter), Yogi Adityanath Office, 27 Dec 2019, In HindiT1 RecordArchived 23 Jun 2024
43. 43Post by Mayawati (@Mayawati) on X, 21 December 2019X (Twitter), Mayawati, 21 Dec 2019, In HindiT1 Record
44. 44Parliament proceedings | No doubtful category in National Population Register, says Amit ShahThe Hindu, Sobhana K. Nair, 12 Mar 2020T4 ReportArchived 2 Dec 2023
45. 45Post by Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) on X, 13 March 2020X (Twitter), Arvind Kejriwal, 13 Mar 2020, In HindiT1 Record
46. 46Delhi police stormed Jamia libraryThe Hindu, Hemani Bhandari, 17 Dec 2019T4 ReportArchived 17 Dec 2019

Similar precedents

Faded actions are ones this precedent does not share.