Protesters Offer Roses To Delhi Police, Say 'Love In Return For Hatred'

After a week of violent protests that spurted in different parts of the country against the Citizenship Amendment Act, dramatic scenes were seen at protest marches in the national capital.

Several protest marches were scheduled in Delhi on Thursday and police had issued prohibitory orders and asked the people not to carry out rallies. But as the protesters defied the orders and marched ahead, hundreds of them were detained.

Amid all this, several protesters were seen offering roses to policemen who had been deployed to thwart the protest marches.

A group of youth was seen sitting on a road and offering roses to policemen who had donned riot gears. They were heard saying that police can baton charge them as much as they want but their message is "love in return for hatred".

Sandeep Dhiman, a protester, said, "They can lathicharge us as much as they want, we will still offer them roses. Love in return for hatred. We are ready to face their tear gas and water canons."

A large number of protestors, including students and activists, gathered at the Jantar Mantar here on Thursday against the new legislation after they were not allowed to hold a demonstration near the Red Fort and Mandi House where prohibitory orders have been imposed.

This new form of protest comes nearly a week after an agitation near Jamia Nagar in south Delhi turned violent where several buses, motor-bikes and private vehicles were set ablaze. The police had also entered into the nearby Jamia Millia Islamia campus and fired tear gas shells, resorted to baton charges.

Following the incident, the Delhi Police was criticised for its crackdown on Jamia students, of whom several were injured.