About 5,000 people, mostly women, have gathered at Ghanta Ghar in Lucknow since January 17 to protest against CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act). One of the women said, “Let Amit Shah come and clear our doubts about the new citizenship regime; we’ll withdraw our protest and go home.”
Union Home Ministers, Amit Shah is addressing a rally in Lucknow’s Ashiyana which is 16 km from Ghanta Ghar, the site of the protest. The aim of attending this rally is to clear people’s ‘misconceptions’ about CAA. One of the protestors told The Telegraph, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said so many times that he has done Muslim women a great favour by making the instant triple talaq a punishable offence. The same women are now telling the Lucknow administration to persuade his home minister to address them from Ghanta Ghar.”
She invited Amit Shah to come and address their gathering of 5,000 women and remove their ‘misconceptions’. Another young girl among the protestors said, “If they feel we have misconceptions, who better than Shah to clear them? We have a few simple questions for him. We promise to return home if he allays our doubts.” A BJP politician rejected the demand. “Our home minister can’t attend a rally at a place where an illegal dharna is on,” he told this newspaper on the condition of anonymity.
The police had expected that the number of protestors will decrease on Monday as the work week begins but to their dismay, the protestors turned out to be to be resolute; as one batch of women leave, another comes in and maintains the number of 5,000 protestors.
The police tactics
The police started using tactics to provoke the women with profanities, alleged one of the protestors. “They roamed among the protesters, using foul words. I heard them abusing us. They were also saying they would soon baton-charge us. They were hoping we would get irritated and commit a mistake, giving them a reason to assault us,” she said. The protestors aim is clear, to fight for the bigger cause and not give in to such cheap tactics. The women even coined a slogan for the state’s CM who is using the police in the most haphazard manner to counter the masses.
“Yogi jab jab darta hai, police ko aage karta hai (Every time Yogi feels scared, he lets the police loose),” they chanted through the day along with the usual “azadi” slogans.
When asked about police abusing women, the deputy commissioner of police Vikas Chandra Tripathi denied the allegations and said that somebody is spreading rumors against the police on social and that they will take action on such people.
Among these 5,000 women at Ghant Ghar, 125 women, 18 identified, were booked by the police for violating prohibitory order under section 144 of the CrPC. Among those identified, is a former journalist, Samaiya Rana.
Little helpers
The women are not in this alone. There are some good Samaritans with whose help the women are able to keep their fight going. Some young girls, among protestors go around asking women if they need any medicines and the same are provided. A health camp is also scheduled for today. There are people distributing food packet for women who sit there all day. People also distribute dry fruits, nuts as well as biscuits.
Gomti Nagar protest
A smaller protest with about 2 dozen women gathered at Ujariyaon dargah in upscale Gomti Nagar. They came with placards hidden under their shawls and sat in the small lawn. They were asked to leave by policemen and the police even took down the shamiana later in the night by the women stayed put.
Yogi Adityanath maintained that the protests are being sponsored by Congress and Samajwadi Party.
Meanwhile, while addressing the rally in Lucknow’s Ashiyana today, Amit Shah reiterated, “Protest as much as you can, CAA won’t be taken back.”
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