Bengaluru: Congress leader Siddaramaiah, on Friday, December 20, addressed the media in connection with the violent protests and two deaths that occurred in Mangaluru city.

It may be recalled that earlier today, reports came out that Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders will be travelling to Mangaluru to assess the situation and speak to the locals. They are scheduled to arrive in Mangaluru by special flight by 1.30 PM.

Speaking to the media, the former chief minister blamed the police for opening fire on the protestors. “The police opened fire on peaceful protesters. Thousands of people are protesting against the government’s policies. Everyone has the right to hold protests peacefully,” he said.

He added that Union Home Minister Amit Shah himself has admitted that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 is a controversial law. He stated that it is “undemocratic” to stop people from holding peaceful protests.

Speaking about the police firing in Mangaluru, he said that there are several methods that the police can use to control crowds, be it using rubber bullets, water canons, lathi-charge etc. Firing at the crowds is the last resort when no other method is achieving the desired results, he added. He accused the police of not following the procedure when handling the protesters.

Speaking about the protests across the state, the former CM said that people, cutting across religions, are protesting against the CAA. “Protests are a sign of a healthier democracy. There is a provision for people to protest against unpopular policies. There was no need for the imposition of section 144 in Karnataka,” Siddaramaiah added.