Over 10,000 women, many of them in hijab, walked through central Calcutta on Thursday to protest the document-based citizenship drive.
Many of these women, who do not step out of their homes except for domestic reasons and to attend social gatherings, said “khauf ka mahaul (an atmosphere of fear)” had forced them to take to the streets.
“Why am I marching? Because I have my back to the wall. There is no other option than to fight. The rise in prices of vegetables is one thing. Trying to wipe out our existence is another,” said Fara Naz, a homemaker from Garden Reach.
The rally against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act-National Register of Citizens-National Population Register was organised by a string of organisations that work for communal harmony and women’s empowerment. It started from a park on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road around 1.40pm.
Waving Tricolours, beating tambourines and holding aloft banners and posters, the rally marched through SN Banerjee Road and Esplanade in two rows before demonstrating near Mahatma Gandhi’s statue on Mayo Road.
A number of speakers addressed the gathering near the Gandhi statue.
Saira Manzoor, a social worker from Kidderpore, was leading a group of women from her neighbourhood. “Till a few years ago, we would leave our children at our Hindu neighbours’ homes and they would do the same. But now, there is an environment of fear. This has been created by opportunistic elements who are always looking to create tension among people,” said Manzoor.
The women were of various age groups and came from different walks of life. Several women walked with their toddlers in their arms, shouting slogans. There were students — from schools, colleges and madarsas — and teachers. Senior citizens came in droves.
Afaf Jameen, a 52-year-old history teacher at The Frank Anthony Public School, took a half-day leave to take part in the march. “This is not 16th century. The government is embarking on moon missions and also trying to define a race by its faith. This is absurd. We often take liberty for granted but at times, liberty has to be protected by our blood. This is such a time,” said Jameen
The slogans were not always in sync but the spontaneity of the voices made up for it. “NRC pe halla bol, asmaan phat jae aise bol (Raise your voice against NRC, the voice should tear the sky),” cried Gulnaaz Parveen.
“My ancestors gave their blood for this land. We are not going anywhere,” said the Class XII student, who is preparing for the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test, the medical entrance exam.
Singing Saare jahaan se accha, the rally was turning right from Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road around 2.10pm. A Howrah-bound minibus was standing at the front of a long snarl caused by the rally.
Two women sitting in the bus started singing with the marchers and raised their fists in a show of solidarity. The rally greeted them back with a loud applause.
Nazma Parveen, a 65-year-old woman from Bakultala in Howrah, walked with a hint of a limp. “My left leg hurts when I walk too much. But the times are more hurting. So, I chose to walk,” she said.
Parveen was accompanied by her daughter-in-law.
Afaf Jameen, a 52-year-old history teacher at The Frank Anthony Public School, had taken a half-day leave at work to join the rally. “This is not 16th century. The government is embarking on moon missions and also trying to define a race by its faith. This is absurd. We often take liberty for granted but at times, liberty has to be protected by our blood. This is such a time,” said Jameen.
When the last of the marchers were at the SN Banerjee Road intersection in Esplanade, the head of the rally was at the base of the Park Street flyover.
Jahanara Khatoon, a para-teacher at a Howrah school, was walking with her three-year-old son. She had come in a bus with more than 50 neighbours from Santragachhi. “A sense of fear has been persisting for over a month. Every discussion, at home or in the market, is centred around the CAA-NRC-NPR,” she said.
