Nashik, Jul 17 (PTI) Congress workers staged a demonstration in Nashik city on Thursday against the special public security bill passed by the Maharashtra legislature, saying it is aimed at suppressing the voice of the people as was done by the British during their rule in India.
The party demanded immediate rollback of the bill.
Both Houses of the state legislature last week passed the contentious Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024, which seeks to prevent unlawful activities of Left-wing extremist organisations with focus on ‘urban Naxalism’.
The bill, which has stringent provisions, including hefty fines and jail term up to seven years for those found guilty, has sparked criticism from civil society groups and opposition parties, who view it as a tool to suppress dissent under the pretext of national security.
The Nashik unit of the Congress staged demonstrations at the party office here. The agitators shouted slogans, including ‘Withdraw the Public Security Bill’ and ‘Constitution zindabad, democracy zindabad’.
Party’s Nashik president, Akash Chhajed, who led the protest, said, “The bill will end the fundamental rights of people given by the Constitution. It will suppress the rights of the people who demand justice in a democratic manner.” “The bill has been introduced to suppress the voice of the people with force just like the Britishers in the pre-independence era. Congress condemns this and we demand its withdrawal,” he said. PTI COR NP
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