Delhi’s protest hub Shaheen Bagh calm but tense after CAA comes into force
On Tuesday, nobody from Shaheen Bagh stepped out to protest against CAA, with residents saying that the notification of the rules will not impact Indian Muslims
Shaheen Bagh, a locality which was once the epicentre of the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests for more than three months between late 2019 and early 2020, was on Tuesday bustling with pedestrians and vehicles — it was business as usual for this corner of southeast Delhi, a day after the Centre implemented the contentious law that paves the way for citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Read here: Flag marches in parts of Delhi after CAA comes into force
Multiple teams of Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the Delhi Police were deployed to Shaheen Bagh keeping vigil in a rather peaceful manner — sitting under a foot overbridge and keeping away from the public eye, except while carrying out a flag march. This was in stark contrast to 2019-20, when thousands of police personnel and paramilitary forces stood in Shaheen Bagh day-in and day-out to maintain law and order, ready with riot gear.
On Tuesday, nobody from Shaheen Bagh stepped out to protest against CAA, with residents saying that the notification of the rules will not impact Indian Muslims, and therefore, they have no reason to worry.
“Why should we be scared? This is going to have no impact on Indian Muslims as of now,” said Mohammed Irfan, a resident of the area who runs an apparel store.
Mohammed Riyazuddin, another resident said, “I feel there is more awareness this time and less fear among people. Many videos have been shared on social media and on WhatsApp to explain what CAA is.”
However, some people said they were apprehensive about protesting as they may be detained or arrested by the police. “There are no protests now because everyone is scared. They know that many people who protested in 2019-20 are still in jail,” said a 44-year-old resident of the area, on condition of anonymity.
Deputy commissioner of police (south east) Rajesh Deo said, “Sufficient deployment of local police and central armed police force has been made in the area to maintain law and order and harmony in the area.”
On December 15, 2019, residents of Shaheen Bagh began a sit-in protest against CAA, three days after Parliament passed the contentious law. Over the next few days, the Shaheen Bagh sit-in morphed into arguably one of the biggest protests in Delhi in recent years, attracting people from across the city and even other states.
Both carriageways of the main road — one towards Noida, and the other towards Faridabad — were blocked by protesters, and no vehicle was allowed to cross. There wasn’t space for any. Protesters instead turned the space into an open air art gallery, with the map of India and the India Gate stealing the limelight. Even those who did not support or understand the cause visited the site — just to witness the art and take pictures with it for their social media, said Tahmeen Begum, 31, a resident of the area.
“I remember there used to be people making placards and drawing on the road all day,” said Saima Khan, 40, a resident of Jasola who participated in the protest every day.
Leading from the front were several women of the area, including Bilkis Bano, an 82-year-old who came to be known as the “Dadi of Shaheen Bagh” and was featured among the 100 most influential women by Time magazine.
On Tuesday, however, Bano’s family said that she wasn’t willing to speak to the media.
While Shaheen Bagh has gone back to what it was before the protest — a busy street connecting Delhi to two satellite towns — what remains of the sit-in protest is a painting of two burqa-clad women, with “We the people of India... Having solemnly resolve to constitute India into a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic” written above it.