Shaheen Bagh: A vigil to preserve the secular fabric of India
Six weeks on, women at Shaheen Bagh continue protests against Citizenship Act
New Delhi: Bilkis often shifts her gaze from the speaker at the dais, to the prayer beads she is counting. The 82-year-old is the face of a women-led anti-CAA-NRC-NPR (Citizenship Amendment Act-National Register of Citizens-National Population Register) protest at Shaheen Bagh in South Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, Okhla neighbourhood.
Ever since the sit-in took place over six weeks ago, her posters have come up in the vicinity signifying that even the elderly women are up against the government’s move.
I am not bothered if the deadlock continues for more time. I will come here every day until our demands are met.
So, what does she do sitting at the venue? Pointing at the beads, Bilkis tells Gulf News: “At my age, what else can I do except sit in solidarity with others and recite the name of Allah. I live nearby and come here at 8 in the morning. Whenever I feel tired, I go home only to return and stay back until evening.”
One of her five sons is a taxi driver, but she does not divulge the profession of her other sons and grandchildren. Due to her age, ill-health and the city’s cold temperature, it is not easy for Bilkis to sit at the site, but braving it all, she refuses to give up. “I am not bothered if the deadlock continues for more time. I will come here every day until our demands are met,” the octogenarian declares.
Round-the-clock vigil
For more than six weeks, women have taken turns maintaining a round-the-clock sit-in on a highway that passes through their neighbourhood. They sing songs of protest and chant anti-government slogans, some cradling babies, others laying down rugs to make space for more people to sit.
The women, like demonstrators elsewhere in the country, have been demanding the revocation of the citizenship law. The law provides a fast-track to naturalisation for persecuted religious minorities from some neighbouring Islamic countries, but excludes Muslims.
Shaheen Bagh is situated in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar area that comprises localities including Batla House, Noor Nagar, Abul Fazal, Ghaffar Manzil and Zakir Nagar. In the mid-1980s, farmers from Hindu communities created divisions of the land and sold the plots. The buyers were Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. But gradually, as Hindus and Sikhs migrated from the area, from the 90s onwards it became a Muslim-dominated zone. The wide road at Shaheen Bagh leads to several narrow lanes where thousands of families reside.
Why is it in the news?
On December 15, 2019, students of Jamia Milia Islamia University, opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), clashed with the police. The university alleged the police entered the campus without permission and assaulted the staff and students — many of who live in the Jamia Nagar area. The agitated families came on the roads and blocked the highway at Shaheen Bagh. It has now become the longest ongoing protest site against CAA-NRC-NPR.
Are there other movements in India on this issue?
Having become a symbol of resistance, Shaheen Bagh has triggered similar movements in different parts of Delhi and the country including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Nationwide protests have brought tens of thousands of people from different faiths and backgrounds together, in part because the law is seen by critics as part of a larger threat to the secular fabric of Indian society.
Through numerous police barricades, women trickle in from the winding arterial alleys of Shaheen Bagh with children in hand, as poets and singers take the makeshift stage, drawing rapturous applause.
As night draws closer, women as old as 90 huddle together under warm blankets, falling asleep on mattresses.
The gathering at Shaheen Bagh started with a handful of women appalled by the violence at a nearby Muslim university during protests against the law on December 15. A common refrain among the women at Shaheen Bagh is that they are there to ensure that the secular India plotted out by independence-era leaders remains for younger generations.
First time protesters
Women have been instructed by volunteers to sit for a maximum of two-three hours daily after which they can leave for their homes to keep the kitchens functional. There are young women, grandmothers and great grandmothers. Many are residents of Shaheen Bagh and first-time protesters. Women living in joint families take breaks and return to keep the head count high at all times.
With mattresses and blankets spread on the floor, at any given time about 300-400 young and elderly women, some with babies, sit under the tent. Newer sets of women keep joining, as others leave. The process continues throughout the day and night.
Some are seen peeling and chopping vegetables or helping children complete their homework. A young woman sits with a baby in her lap. Covered with a shawl, she feeds the baby; occasionally getting up and singing a lullaby to make the child sleep.
Education matters
Twenty-five-year-old Hameeda listens intently to a young speaker, who reminds the women not to react on being called anti-national. Shifting her attention, Hameeda says: “I am waiting for my son and daughter to arrive. They come here straight from school and I help them with their homework. They have class tests from next week and I don’t want them to neglect their studies.”
She carries a bag containing fruits and food for the children. Her husband works as a guard in a factory. “It was at his insistence that I began coming here from last week. My household work suffers, but this is not the time to think individually. We are Indians and cannot be discriminated,” she says.
Men as escorts
The area is cordoned off by ropes to secure it and men and boys are not allowed to enter the enclosure. Many escort their mothers, wives, sisters and daughters to the venue and waits outside the roped area listening to the speakers.
The majority of women protesters are from humble backgrounds. Their husbands or sons are carpenters, welders, plumbers, gatekeepers, drivers, construction workers, cart vendors and daily wagers.
Chatting and clapping as high wattage speeches are made, in between, they are joined by women from distant city localities. Housewives, professionals, activists, poets and singers visit either to show their affiliation or out of curiosity. While some deliver fiery speeches, others crack jokes and keep the crowd in splits. In between, the devout close their eyes and recite their prayers.
Adding value
Many young women make their presence felt on the stage, sharing their views and adding value to the protest.
Munira arrives with her husband and two-year-old son. While the husband joins the men’s group, Munira settles on a chair next to the dais. She is ready to give a political speech, altering her attention towards her child. Sitting cross-legged on the floor for another day of speeches, women acknowledge her presence.
When Munira’s turn to speak comes, she announces, “It is my 45th day at the protest. And my son is a daily attender.” There’s a huge round of applause. “I am an ordinary housewife, but feel compelled to protest. The government….” she continues.
The protest at Shaheen Bagh has received much attention across the country. The tent set-up at the site has blocked a key arterial road linking Kalindi Kunj and Sarita Vihar, leading to massive traffic chaos in several parts of south and east Delhi all through the day. The inconvenienced commuters complain that organisers are using women and children to block the road.
Fun fair
The place appears like a mini-fair with free food, including biryani, samosas (snacks), biscuits, juice and tea distributed to the protesting women.
A carton full of samosas is carried inside the tent. On enquiring, a volunteer claims she does not know who has sent it. “Throughout the day people send drinks and eatables without us knowing who is making the offerings. My duty is to see that it is distributed among all,” she says.
What they say:
Tabassum, 50
I come here in the morning after finishing household chores. My husband does a job [not known] and sons are studying. It is time to show solidarity with our sisters, who are fearlessly battling for a cause. I will not leave the country and don’t have to prove I am an Indian. People of all religions co-operated to give us this Constitution. We will not allow the government to change it.
Muslima, 40
I come from a neighbouring locality Abu Fazal, about one-and-a-half km from the venue. I live in a joint family with my husband, a scrap dealer, and three children. All my life, I have not gone anywhere beyond Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Our parents and grandparents have lived in India. Today they are targeting the Muslims; tomorrow it could be other communities. This protest has brought women from many localities together.
Shabana, 33
I visit the place carrying my 2-month-old daughter daily without missing a day. After sending my two elder daughters, aged 10 and 7, to school, I reach here at 8am. Once they return from school, I go back home. But again I am here in the evening and stay till late hours. Sometimes I deliver a speech. I want to know why the government is not listening to us and why we are being ignored?
— With inputs from agencies