Shaheen Bagh has inspired similar protests across Delhi NCR, and the country. As the national capital region gears up for assembly elections, mass agitations against CAA and NRC are gaining momentum.
Sit-ins are being organised at several locations in Delhi, including Khureji, Jaffarabad, Seelampur, Nizamuddin Basti, Turkman Gate, Azad Market, Hauz Rani, and Inderlok.
Most of these day and night vigils are concentrated around largely Muslim neighbourhoods in east and north Delhi, excepting Shaheen Bagh which is in south-east Delhi, and Hauz Rani and Nizamuddin Basti in south Delhi.
Among these, the protest at Khureji, a densely inhabited urban village of mixed low-income group people, was the first to be organized in the city after Shaheen Bagh. “The protest here began on January 13. Most of the protesters here are women. You can find them sitting in protest day and, braving the cold,” said activist Khalid Saifi. He further informed that the police tried to break-up their agitation during the intervening night of January 14 and 15, when street-lights were switched off and tents removed.
“Barring that night, nothing untoward has happened. This is a very peaceful sit-in. We released 10,000 black balloons in air last week to register our protest. A daily langar has been organized by people from the local Sikh community,” Saifi added.
One encounters a similar protest site right outside Inderlok metro station. The surrounding areas and neighbourhoods are predominantly inhabited by Muslim families and individuals. Like Shaheen Bagh, women lead this protest, who began with a door-to-door campaign to garner support.
“We are sitting here since January 19 right outside gate number 4 of the Inderlok metro station. It was started by the women of the area through a door-to-door campaign,” said Ismael, a protester at Inderlok .
The largest protests outside Shaheen Bagh are being held in the Seelampur-Jaffarabad and nearby areas (all in East Delhi), where a series of sit-ins are being observed at every three-four kilometers.
Starting from Seelampur-Jaffarabad, these sit-ins stretch to Kardampuri, Brijpuri (known as Chandbagh), Noor-E-Ilahi, Khajuri Khas, Khureji, and Mustafabad which is 10 km away from Seelampur.
“The women at Seelampur have been holding daily march against the citizenship act for the last 15 days. On January 15 they decided to organise a sit-in. The police have not tried to move them from there, but they have been present in varying mubers,” Nihal, a masters students at Jamia Millia Islamia and a Seelampur local, said.
Other anti-CAA protests are being organised at Sadar Bazar Idgah Road (Old Delhi).