Dubai denies deporting Indian expats for raising slogans

Dubai - The source said the residents' gathering was not planned or organised by any group.

A UAE government source has denied reports about a group of Indian expatriates being jailed and deported from the country after they raised slogans against India's Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the Naif area last Friday. The source said the residents' gathering was not planned or organised by any group.
Stressing that the gathering lasted for mere minutes, the source said they were let off with a warning.
"The UAE does not interfere in the internal affairs of any nation and has adopted a policy of political neutrality and tolerance. Using this land for gatherings and rallies against other countries is not acceptable," he said.
The source added that all public gatherings need approval from the authorities concerned.
Meanwhile, one of the residents who took part in the brief gathering said it was an impromptu one. The Malayali expat said: "This was not a planned gathering. On Friday afternoon, we spotted a person suddenly raising slogans against the Act. We just joined him, but dispersed within minutes. Somebody took a video of the gathering, which went viral."
malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai