Many people were seen waving the national flag at Shaheen Bagh on the last night of 2019 on Tuesday. Others came with placards against the CAA
New Delhi: In south Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh hundreds of people ring in the New Year, amid the extreme cold, with a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act that fast-tracks the process of giving citizenship to persecuted non-Muslims from three neighboring nations.
The protest was led by women who have been going on for over two weeks and also at a time when Delhi recorded its second-coldest place in December in 118 years. Some women brought their children along to the agitation area, where people are huddled into tents amid a pile of blankets.
“I can see that my children don’t have a better future. As a parent, to save their future, I am out here agitating. Our rights should be given to us. And this is not just my fight. It’s about saving the Constitution also. A lot of Indians across India will face problems due to lack of documents,” Saima, 33, as she gives a glass of milk to one of her children. She said she will put the children to sleep before she steps out to go to Shaheen Bagh. It’s the first time she has taken part in any agitation.
Another woman who can’t leave their children home brings them said “I graduated from Jamia in 2014 in Political Science. There is no discrimination at Jamia based on religion but for the first time, such an incident has taken place and I am against it,” says Sajida Khan, 24, who came with her one-year-old daughter.
Locals contributed to bringing food to the protesters. Collection for blankets and other essential needs are being run on Twitter.
Asma Khatun said that she has been sitting at Shaheen Bagh every day from 3 pm to 9 pm. “We are fighting for the Constitution and for all our people. I want to tell those who ask us for proof, show me what were the names of your forefathers? I can show you the names of my past seven generations who have lived here,” she added.
Many people were seen waving the national flag at Shaheen Bagh on the last night of 2019 on Tuesday. Others came with placards against the CAA.
At night 12 PM when the New Year began, the crowd sang the national anthem, followed by the slogans, “inquilab zindabad (long live the revolution)”, said sources.
The CAA for the first time makes religion the test of citizenship in India. The government says it will help minorities from three Muslim-dominated nations to get citizenship if they fled to India before 2015 because of religious persecution. Many critics say it is created to discriminate against Muslims and violates the secular principles of the constitution.
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