Bengaluru: Rap session marks anti-CAA stir at Cubbon Park

BENGALURU: The angst of city youth over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 got a musical twist in Cubbon Park on Sunday evening.
Rapping at the event organised by Hum Bharat ke Log forum, the volunteers believed music is one way to draw people. “Many people hesitate to join when we protest. But our rap songs on Sunday attracted several passersby,” said an organiser.The session lasted for nearly two hours, with 30 rappers, many of them full-time musicians, coming together for the cause.
Around the same time, the Karnataka Muslim Mahila Andolan gathered on the steps of Town Hall to hold their second protest against NRC, CAA and the recent violence unleashed on students in various parts of the country. Two hundred people gathered at the venue to stand in solidarity.
One of the protesters, Dasarathi, drew a lot of attention with his attire. He was wearing a taqiyah (a cap worn by Muslims), had a nama like the Hindus and wore a cross on his neck. He said, “I’m an Indian first and I think my attire speaks for itself.”
Earlier in the day, Rangasthala auditorium at Rangoli Metro Art Centre, MG Road, turned into a classroom with a session on introduction to the Constitution and law-making.
2 arrested for attacking activist last month
Two men were arrested on Sunday for the attack on a pro-CAA activist here last month.
JP Nagar resident Varun Bopala, 31, was assaulted after he was returning home on his bike from a pro-CAA rally at Town Hall on December 22. Varun was accosted by four bike-borne men at Bamboo Bazaar and hit with iron rods and stabbed.
Claiming the two arrested were part of the conspiracy, Kalasipalya police said the duo did not attack Varun. The four assailants are absconding. “Varun was attacked as he was actively involved in organising the rally,” police said.