Protesters refuse to lift blockade until CAA goes; mediation to continue
Supreme Court-appointed interlocutors advocates Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran visited the Shaheen Bagh protest site on Wednesday and held talks with the protesters for almost three hours but could not persuade them to shift from the spot. Ex-CIC Wajahat Habibullah, asked to assist the interlocutors, later visited the site.
Refusing to budge from the their earlier stand of continuing their sit-in until the CAA is scrapped and NPR and NRC process stopped, protesters told the interlocutors that hey are open to further talks. Hegde and Ramachandran said they will visit the protest site again on Thursday to resume the dialogue with the protesters.
Protesters have blocked an important arterial road connecting Delhi and Noida since December 15 last year, causing trouble to commuters and schoolchildren.
First, Hegde explained in detail the SC order to the protesters, who had turned up in large number. It was translated into Hindi by Ramachandran. Later addressing protesters, Ramachandran said, “The SC has upheld your right to protest but then other citizens also have their rights and it should also be maintained. We want to find a solution to the problem. We will listen to everyone.”
During the talks, women, young and old, tried to explain their point of view to the interlocutors. There were tears and defiance too as they poured their hearts out to the two interlocutors on Wednesday, the first attempt to reach out to those sitting in protest against the citizenship amendment legislation for more than two months.
Responding to the concerns raised by the women, Ramachandran said all the points will be put forward before the SC and discussed in detail. “However, I want to say one thing. A country that has daughters like you can never face any threats,” she said.
A woman broke down while talking to the mediators. She said they are protesting to save the Constitution but people see only the inconvenience of commuters who have the option of taking so many other roads. “Aren’t we facing inconvenience sitting here in cold nights taking our children to the protest. We are ourselves so troubled, what trouble will we cause to citizens?” she said
She scotched the allegations that they are not letting ambulances and vehicles pass. “The road hasn’t been blocked by us. In fact, it is the Centre that has blocked freedom in this country,” she added.
Bilkis, an elderly woman, said they wouldn’t move an inch even if someone fires a bullet. She said the main tent where the podium has been erected covers only 100 to 150 metres of the road.
She claimed, “We have not blocked the whole stretch. It is the Delhi Police which barricaded the whole road in the name of security. Why don’t you get that removed first? We never asked police or any authority to block the roads for us. It is they who did it and are now blaming us.”
“We are being called traitors. When we pushed Britishers out of the country, who is Narendra Modi and Amit Shah? You remove NRC and CAA, we will clear the site in no time,” she added.
Another woman described their ongoing protest as mental trauma. She said they jump up even at the slightest noise at night, fearing police action.
On Monday, the SC observed that the blockade of the road at Shaheen Bagh was troubling and suggested the protesters go to another site where no public place would be blocked. It, however, upheld their right to protest.
The SC asked Hegde to play a constructive role as an interlocutor to persuade the protesters to move to an alternative site.