Shaheen Bagh, the hub of protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens in Delhi, has found an echo at the Park Circus Maidan.
In what looks like a replication of the Shaheen Bagh protests, nearly 200 women huddled at the Park Circus Maidan to raise their voice against the amended citizenship act and the NRC.
The sit-in started on Tuesday night with around a dozen women camping out in the open with Tricolours and anti-CAA and anti-NRC posters. The numbers started swelling on Wednesday and many came with their children in tow. They said they would continue to protest till the Centre withdrew the CAA and the NRC.
Most said they would not go home and spend nights in the open to ensure they were seen and their voices heard.
No shed was erected till late on Wednesday and the women had little to protect themselves from the cold apart from shawls and woollens.
For many, this is their first involvement in a protest.
Cries of “Hum chahatein kya hain? Azaadi” rang out at regular intervals, interspersed by verses of “Saare jahan se achha Hindustan humara”.
Like many others, Ruhi Tabassum was sitting with a poster that read: “We oppose CAA. We oppose NRC. We oppose NPR.” She said this was the first protest of her life and her eight-year-old daughter Mariam had helped her make the poster. “I told my husband to take care of our daughter. Although he was asked to return home at night, I told him that I won’t leave,” said Tabassum.
A 33-year-old man, who works in a leather bag manufacturing unit in Topsia, had come to the Park Circus Maidan with his four-year-old son sitting on his shoulders.
Mohammed Shahid said he had taken leave from the factory to visit the protest site with his son Hanzala.
“Rozi roti ke liye niklein, ya fir kagaz ke pichhey bhaga dauri karein? Kamayenge nahin toh khayenge kya? Aawaaz toh uthana hi padega (Should we step out to earn our livelihood or run after papers? What will we eat if we don’t earn? We have to raise our voices),” Shahid said.
Saleha Tabassum, who stays near the protest venue, said she had brought her son, a Class V student, on Tuesday night and they had spent the night in the open.
On Wednesday, her son took over the portable microphone and raised slogans that prompted many to take out their cellphones and record videos. A few minutes later a video was uploaded on Facebook, where it was viewed and shared widely.
“Amanwala Bharat chahiye humein. Hum bhi Hindustani hai aur hum is desh ke hi nagarik hain aur isi desh main dafnaye jayengey. (We want India to be peaceful. We are Indians, too, and will be buried here in our own country),” Saleha said while stressing that there were no leaders to guide them and all of them had come out of their home of their own accord.
As the day progressed, the number of women grew and several men from nearby localities came carrying cardboard boxes filled with bottles of water, biscuits and food.
“Yeh ladai hamari sabki hain. Hum aapke saath hain. Kuch bhi zaroorat hone se yaad kijiyega (This fight is ours, too. We are with you.
Just let us know if you need anything),” said a man in his late 20s while distributing packets of biscuits. He identified himself as “mohalla ka ladka (a neighbourhood boy).”
Several posts were also made on Facebook urging people to join the protests at the Park Circus Maidan under the hashtag: #womenagainstfascism.
Ballygunge resident Arifa Zahir, a language teacher, said it was imperative that more people joined in.
The spirit of the women who had gathered can move rocks, Zahir, who was at the protest site, told Metro.
“Everyone has family at home, chores to attend and jobs to do but everybody here is finishing what needs to be done and coming back. We will resist this at all costs,” said Zahir.
As evening set in, women led by a college girl sang: “Mazhab nahin sikhata apas men bair rakhna Hindi hai hum watan hain Hindustan hamara (Faith does not teach us to harbour grudges between us. We are all Indians and India is our homeland)”. As the song went on, the street lights and lights inside the park came on.
