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Bhim Army’s Azad joins Shaheen Bagh protest; women say their stir will continue
New Delhi: A day after a Delhi court allowed Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad to visit the national capital; he joined the ongoing protest against the Citizenship
New Delhi: A day after a Delhi court allowed Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad to visit the national capital; he joined the ongoing protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Shaheen Bagh Wednesday.
Amid chants of “Jai Bhim”, Azad appeared at the protest site with a copy of the Constitution. He was greeted by women protesters who held aloft his photographs. Lauding the women protesters of Shaheen Bagh, Azad said, “Because of you, there are many Shaheen Baghs in the country now. But we need at least 1 lakh Shaheen Baghs across the country as the government is making attempts to derail the movement.”
Criticising the government for not having a dialogue with protesters of Shaheen Bagh, Azad said, “If the Prime Minister can do his ‘Mann ki Baat’ then why is he not listening to the mann ki baat of the women of Shaheen Bagh? “
Before reaching the protest site, Azad had also joined the ongoing protest against the CAA and the NRC outside the Jamia Millia Islamia and addressed the crowd there.
Azad, 33, was arrested on December 21, a day after clashes broke out in Daryaganj soon after he gave a protest call while standing on the steps of Jama Masjid in Old Delhi. He was released Friday but was told to leave Delhi within 24 hours and stay away for the next four weeks. But on Tuesday, the court modified his bail order and allowed him to enter Delhi but with only after informing police.
After the Supreme Court declined to stay the CAA Wednesday, protesters of Shaheen Bagh said they will continue their agitation till the amended Act is revoked.
The sit-in agitation in Shaheen Bagh entered Day 38 on Wednesday. The apex court has sought a response from the Centre and will now hear the matter after four weeks.
Fatma Begum, 65, who has been protesting in Shaheen Bagh Day 1, said, “Be it four weeks or four months, we will sit here till the government takes back this draconian Act. We have complete faith in the judiciary. The Supreme Court will definitely stay the CAA.”
On being asked about the allegations that the protest has been inconveniencing commuters, protester Sidra Khatoon, 53, said, “We have already made it clear that we are letting school buses and ambulances pass through here. We are not causing any inconvenience to anyone.”
Since December 16, around 500 protesters have blocked the Delhi-Noida border at Shaheen Bagh near Kalindi Kunj to protest against the CAA and the NRC. The protesters have erected a stage on one carriageway, towards Noida, while the other carriageway, towards Delhi, has been blocked by a 30-foot high map of India made of iron. The blockade at such a busy stretch has led to massive jams on Mathura road, Ring Road and the DND Flyway through the day.
On Tuesday, a delegation of Shaheen Bagh protesters met lieutenant-governor (L-G) Anil Baijal. The L-G had appealed to protesters to maintain peace and call off their agitation in view of inconvenience caused to patients (at least two major hospitals are located in the vicinity), daily commuters and local residents.
