After spate of attacks, a new slogan rises at Shaheen Bagh

A new slogan resonated across Shaheen Bagh, which has been under attack from politicians and even gun-toting men in the last few days, on Sunday — “not bullets,

A new slogan resonated across Shaheen Bagh, which has been under attack from politicians and even gun-toting men in the last few days, on Sunday — “not bullets, but flowers”.

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Thousands from across the Capital reached the epicentre of the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) amid threats of violence as pro-CAA groups also reached the spot.

To counter the “shoot the traitors” slogan, protesters across Shaheen Bagh pinned the new slogan to their clothes. “The idea was to replace the hate-filled slogans with love,” said Jaya Iyer, who chanted the “desh ke inn pyaaron par, phool barsao saaro par (shower the loved ones of the country with flowers)” slogan. “Language has a deep impact and if it is polluted, we can succumb to hatred and violence. We have to flip the narrative to counter the hatred,” she said.

Armed with roses like several other women in the staging area, Gul Bano said, “We were not afraid of the bullets that came yesterday (Saturday) or the violent sloganeering that came this morning. We will remain here for our constitutional rights.”

A group of activists and protesters also put up a poster and flowers near the pro-CAA protest spot asking for a dialogue to resolve the issue. “Like the injured Jamia student, we too want a dialogue. This is why we have put up the poster,” said a member of Friends of Shaheen Bagh, an informal collective.

On Saturday, Kapil Gujjar, 23, was nabbed from the spot after he fired at least two shots at the spot amid police presence. On Thursday, a minor shot at protesters who were marching from Jamia to Rajghat protesting the new citizenship law. On Tuesday, a man brandished a gun at the Shaheen Bagh protest site.

Following the incidents, volunteers at the Shaheen Bagh site said they were on high alert.