Art Installations At Shaheen Bagh & Jamia Removed, Graffiti Erased Too; Anger Erupts On Twitter
The Shaheen Bagh anti-protest site was cleared by Delhi Police today morning in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. However, in an unprecedented move, the artwork, graffiti and murals, a symbol of resistance, have been removed by the government.
The art installations have been dismantled at both the protest sites while the walls with graffiti have been whitewashed. It is speculated that the local authorities might be behind the painting of the walls, to bring them back to their original condition.
Twitter
The Shaheen Bagh sit-in protest led by women came to a halt today after more than 100 days over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The site was vacated by women earlier considering Section 144 being imposed in the national capital to tackle the pandemic.
The recent act of the authorities has sparked anger on Twitter with some questioning if graffiti is also contagious.
Say you're open to dissent, then
¡ª F*ck Fascism (@poshrajsingh) March 24, 2020
1. Shut down Shaheen Bagh in the middle of a medical emergency
2. In the middle of a lock down and said medical emergency, actively deface and whitewash the graffiti and caricatures made at protest sites.
Priorities.
Taaliyan rukni nahi chahiye. pic.twitter.com/Qd5WhfUSJZ
The speed at which Shaheen baug site was cleared and the streets being cleared of graffiti this govt is quicker that even CORONA #ShaheenBagh
¡ª Johanna Lokhande (@jlokhande007) March 24, 2020
When your government and its henchmen fear your art, poetry, and graffiti you know that they are scared of the ideas they carry.
¡ª awrup ????? (@justawesan) March 24, 2020
The thing is: They¡¯ll be done again, and again, and again. #ShaheenBagh #Jamia https://t.co/jCfOcKmqMi
What a cowardly govt this is, using #Coronavirus to remove anti-CAA graffiti from the walls. Only shows how much the anti-CAA protests had spooked the govt.
¡ª Aditya Menon (@AdityaMenon22) March 24, 2020
"...Tum zameen pe zulm likho, aasmaan mein Inquilab likha jayega"#ShaheenBagh pic.twitter.com/GcHDZ6UYpd
The graffiti and wall paintings of Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Millia being whitewashed... pic.twitter.com/HDBUw5AOWP
¡ª Zafar Abbas (@zafarabbaszaidi) March 24, 2020
The state sponsored vandalisation and defacement of the symbolic remnants, murals and graffiti at the historical #ShaheenBagh protest site, is the Hindu Rashtra violently reclaiming the place which witnessed unapologetic Muslim assertion and voice for more than hundred days.
¡ª nooran?. (@purpleremnants) March 24, 2020
The revolution cannot be erased.
¡ª ||.AndarRaho.|| (@yashmarwah) March 24, 2020
||Thread for best graffiti from protests across the country||#ShaheenBagh #LockdownNow #COVIDIDIOTS #CurfewInIndia pic.twitter.com/PjLEuMIV3J
Why did you @DelhiPolice broken tent even 3 or 4 people were at ShaheenBagh,Why did u washed graffiti from The Walls of Jamia? Don't u think that u have used the fear of Corona as ur weapon to suppress the voice of the people.Will Corona End by Washing graffiti?
¡ª Khalid IrFaN (@IamIFN) March 24, 2020
#LockdownQuery pic.twitter.com/JigUVv5vwr
The cops had brought in cranes to remove the temporary structures erected along the road. The massive tent under which the protests were held were also dismantled. Police said they have taken all the tents and billboards agitators had put up in Shaheen Bagh.
¡°Shaheen Bagh has been cleared. We requested them to vacate the road. They continued to ignore the request,¡± RP Meena, deputy commissioner of police South East Delhi, said.
