Bilkis Bano, fondly known as Bilkis Dadi of Shaheen Bagh, was stopped by the Delhi police on Tuesday at the Singhu border where she wanted to join thousands of farmers protesting against the new central farm laws, police said.

The octogenarian was the face of the months-long anti-citizenship amendment law protest at the national capital’s Shaheen Bagh area and had also featured in the Time Magazine for her act.

Popularly known as Shaheen bagh Dadi, Bilkis was inclined to join the farmers in their protest, but was stopped by the police personnel soon after reaching the Singhu border.

"She is a senior citizen and due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we stopped her at the Singhu Border and requested her to return for her own safety and betterment," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Gaurav Sharma said.

"To avoid any kind of any inconvenience to her, she was escorted by the police team to her home in southeast Delhi," he added.

Bilkis shot into limelight last year during the months-long anti-citizenship law protest at Shaheen Bagh here and was also recognised by the American weekly Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2020 alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bollywood actor Ayushman Khurrana.

Braving the extreme winters of Delhi, the 82-year-old joined hundreds of women and children sitting under a tent during the protest, which began in December last year. Soon, she emerged as the face of the agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens.

The protest at Shaheen bagh ended in March this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.