At a rally in Kolkata today near the Abdul Hamid mosque, organized by the All India Bazm-e-Ashraf and the Garden Reach Peace Movement, the theme of which was Hum Kaagaz Nahi ikhayenge, was Bollywood actor Zeeshan Ayyub, a prominent face of the protests addressing the crowd. He said, “Muslims should stop being apologetic and justifying their rights. They should never consider themselves second-class citizens. They must realise that they have equal rights in this country, guaranteed by the Constitution.”
He also said that always pointing to Shaheen Bagh could be counter-productive to the movement. “The government knew how to tackle Muslim men — by beating them up. But they don’t know what to do with women. But if you keep pointing to Shaheen Bagh, you are giving them a face to target,” he said.
Minutes later, news has emerged that there has been another incident of firing, this time at Shaheen Bagh. NDTV reported that the man allegedly shouted “Jai Sri Ram” as he fired shots at police barricades and was also heard saying, “Hamare desh mein sirf Hinduon ki chalegi, aur kisi ki nahin.”
शाहीन बाग प्रोटेस्ट में एक 24-25 साल के #कपिल नाम के युवक ने चलाई गोली, बंदूक झाड़ियों में फेंक कर भागने की कोशिश लोगों नें पकड़कर किया पुलिस के हवाले
पकड़ते वक्त लगा रहा है #जय_श्रीराम के नारे!#ShaheenBagh #ShaheenBaghProtests pic.twitter.com/1Vrt3xCWch— ShaheenBagh Protestors official (@Shaheenbag) February 1, 2020
No reports of injuries have come out so far and the gunman has been caught by the Delhi police.
The fearless firing by a gunman on the peaceful protestors opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), injuring one, at the Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMIU) had elicited a massive cry of solidarity from people all over the country. Keeping with the same sentiment, at an earlier rally on Thursday Ayyub has stated that they (right wing goons) could fire as many bullets as they wish, but the people of India would not let the country be divided, reported eNewsroom.
Ayyub has been very vocal in his support of those protesting the CAA and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and has earlier too expressed his solidarity with the students of JMI who were the victims of police excesses there.
On Martyr’s Day, celebrating the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, several marches against the CAA and NRC were taken out in Kolkata, West Bengal. Ayyub, who was at one such march at New Market spoke to protestors there soon after the news of the firing at Jamia spread. He commenced his speech by thanking women protestors at the site saying, “When I see you people, I get strength. I should thank you people. This is a movement of women and students. They do not know how to fight against women. They fear the common man. I came here to say a lot, but the firing that took place at Jamia has disturbed me.”
“The way you are protesting peacefully, we have to continue in this manner. They are afraid of this mass movement. They are firing bullets out of fear, they can fire as many bullets, we will put our chest before them, but will not let our country get divided,” he added.
The Joint Forum against NRC had organized a sit-in at Chaplin Square in the last week which was concluded with a rally to the Gandhi statue on Martyr’s Day. The rally was also addressed by former National Security Guard (NSG) commando and former Security Chief at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Dipanjan Chakraborty who said, “If raising question on the injustice done by the government is making him anti-national then, he doesn’t mind being called an anti-national. I know more than hundred IAS and IPS officers who come from JNU, so all of them are anti-national. And there are two other famous anti-nationals – Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman and External Affairs Minister Jai Shankar.”
Convenor of the Forum Prasenjit Bose said, “If protesters are attacked in Delhi, then we will march to Delhi in thousands and throw out the Modi government. It is also a warning to ruling government here as we can protest against TMC too if they will attack NRC protestors.”
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Gunman fires at protesters near Jamia, injures one
Hindu Mahasabha to ‘honour’ Jamia gunman