Women protest against CAA | SabrangIndia

Women are on the frontlines, won’t be silent: Activists to Modi

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 04:12:01 +0000

In wake of a series of hateful, communal, often sexually threatening comments against the women protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Shaheen Bagh and many similar spots across the country, several prominent women’s rights activists and feminist intellectuals have written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that he not only openly condemn the words of these men, who belong to the BJP, but also take action against them.

The writers include, Devaki Jain, (Feminist Economist), Laila Tyabji, (Craft activist and Chairperson, DASTKAR), Madhu Bhaduri, (former Ambassador of India), Navrekha Sharma, (former Ambassador of India), Zoya Hasan, (Former Professor & Member, National Commission for Minorities), Uma Chakravarti, (Feminist Historian and filmmaker), Syeda Hameed, (Former Member, Planning Commission of India), Kamla Bhasin, (Gender Rights Activist), Farah Naqvi, (Author and Activist), Natasha Badhwar, Author and Film-maker; and organisations like Saheli, Pinjra Tod, WSS, AIDWA, AIPWA, NFIW, Makaam- Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch, Muslim Women’s Forum, etc.

In their open letter, the activists write, “We speak to you as women of this country, and the women of Delhi – Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Adivasi and Dalit – who are horrified at the atmosphere of violence against women that members of your party have created merely to try and win an election.”

Citing examples of Anurag Thakur who encouraged people to “shoot the traitors”, UP CM Adityanath who reiterated that “words not bullets will get the job done” and Union Home Minister Amit Shah who said electors should press the EVM button with such force that “protesters should feel the current”, the women ask, “Is the BJP now openly endangering the lives of India’s women and children?”

Then the activists take on Parvesh Verma for his statement, “Lakhs of people gather there (Shaheen Bagh). People of Delhi will have to think and take a decision. They’ll enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters, kill them.” Though the Election Commission has removed him from the list of star campaigners, BJP has not expelled him or taken any disciplinary action against him so far. The activists ask the PM, “What is this kind of communal hate and fear mongering that you, as head of government are encouraging, that seeks to make women of all communities feel more insecure and threatened? Vote for BJP or you will get raped! Is this your election message to Delhi’s women? Is this how low your party has sunk?”

They further tell the PM, “Your government may disagree with the reasons for this nation-wide uprising against the NPR-NRC-CAA. But peaceful protest is our constitutional right. That is all we are doing. Lakhs of Delhi’s women are not just part of this movement, they are leading it.” Additionally, they wrote, “Empowered women are on the frontlines. We will not be silent when women are labelled terrorists and traitors, when all they are doing it fighting to protect and preserve the Constitution of our country.”

Finally, holding Modi accountable for the actions of his party men, the activists remind him, “Mr Prime Minister, you may belong to BJP, but you are the Prime Minister of the country and have a Constitutional obligation to protect the rights of all citizens. When members of your party exhort mobs to use violence and bullets and you remain silent or support them, remember it is you who are responsible.”

They conclude by laying down three points of action for the PM saying, “You need to speak out against such targeted violence and hate speech. You need to take immediate action, including under all relevant criminal provisions of the penal code, against these violence mongering members of your party. You need to fight the Delhi election in a manner that upholds the dignity of our Constitution and ensures the security of India’s women.”

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Thank God men only heckled, did nothing else: Dilip Ghosh on woman CAA protestor

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 09:04:00 +0000

In another outrageous remark at a pro-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rally that took place on Thursday in West Bengal, Dilip Ghosh said that a woman who was heckled by party supporters should thank her stars that nothing happened to her.

At the rally, led by Ghosh himself, from Patuli to Bagha Jatin area, a lone woman protesting against the CAA was seen carrying an anti-CAA poster, condemning the deplorable shootout at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University in New Delhi that had taken place during the day.

The woman was heckled and verbally abused by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters and was rescued by the police posted in the area.

Soon after this, speaking to reporters, Dilip Ghosh said, “Our men did the right thing. She should thank her stars that she was only heckled and nothing else was done to her.”

#Breaking | BJP Bengal Chief Dilip Ghosh stokes a row. Cadres ‘heckle’ woman protester but BJP motormouth justifies.
‘She should thank her stars, nothing else was done to her’, says Dilip Ghosh.

TIMES NOW’s Tamal Saha with details. pic.twitter.com/yBpkfw8l6e

— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) January 31, 2020

“Why do they (protestors against the CAA) always come to our rallies to protest? They can go to other events. We have tolerated a lot but now we won’t tolerate such nuisance,” he also added.

However, the woman was undaunted by Ghosh’s comment and said that she would continue to protest against the “fascist BJP”.

AN FIR has been filed against Dilip Ghosh in the matter under charges 354A, 509 and 506 and 34 of the IPC.

Dilip Ghosh’s threatening and misogynistic remark against the woman just goes to show the culture embedded in the minds of BJP leaders. Not only has he communally outraged people in the past, his latest comment only propagates male chauvinism that will only provide furtherance to the crimes against women without the fear of being apprehended.

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Relentless and Unyielding: Women protestors show how it’s done

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 10:03:49 +0000

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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