Shaheen Bagh: 'Dabang Dadis' Brave Winter Cold As Protests Against CAA Show No Signs Of Slowing Down
A trio of elderly women, now famously known as the ¡°Dabang Dadis¡± of Shaheen Bagh, stayed put at the protest venue which has come up on the Sarita Vihar-Kalindi Kunj road in South East Delhi since December 15.
In what is emerging as the strongest show of resistance against the Citizenship Amendment Act, peaceful demonstrations continued in full swing at Delhi's iconic Shaheen Bagh on Saturday night even as cold waves swept across north India. Braving the harsh winter chill, anti-CAA protesters continued their agitation, demanding the withdrawal of the contentious legislation that has brought India at a standstill and sparked outrage across the country.
A trio of elderly women, now famously known as the ¡°Dabang Dadis¡± of Shaheen Bagh, stayed put at the protest venue which has come up on the Sarita Vihar-Kalindi Kunj road in South East Delhi since December 15.
Every night, 75-year-old Noornissa braves the freezing cold to help block one of the main roads into the capital of India, in a protest that is at the forefront of a rising challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
For nearly four weeks, Noornissa and more than 200 other women have sat and slept across the four-lane road. Men stand guard as the women, from the mainly Muslim area of Shaheen Bagh, sing the US civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" and chant against the Citizenship Amendment Act, passed last month.
The government insists that the law is "humanitarian" and that Muslims have nothing to worry about, but opponents are not convinced and have held rallies across the South Asian nation -- often met with force and brutality by the police. Authorities have warned the Shaheen Bagh protesters that the police will clear the road if they do not leave, but the women are determined to stay.
"I was born in India and I want to die here," Noornissa was quoted as saying by news agency AFP, her frail frame shaking with emotion. "I will fight this law until my last breath."
Gul Bano, 51, her face covered with a veil, described the protest as "a fight for our identity". Suffering some of the lowest temperatures in Delhi for decades, Noornissa sleeps on the street, wrapped in blankets with only her silver hair visible. The women with her include grandmothers and younger women, many with toddlers in tow.
A tent has been put up to block the wind. Stray goats walk around the road alongside the protesters. The Shaheen Bagh protest is a sign that "the pushback has begun across India", according to Syeda Hameed, head of the Muslim Women's Forum. People bring blankets, hot tea, snacks and meals for the women. The doors of nearby homes are always open for the women if they want to use the bathroom.
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¡ª Shruti Ambast (@ShrutiAmbast) January 12, 2020
Tens of thousands of people have taken part in protests against the citizenship law and more than 25 people have been killed. The road where the protests take place is a key link between satellite city Noida and national capital New Delhi, and has been closed by the Noida Traffic Police in view of the ongoing protests.
A major part of the crowd at the protest is formed between 8 pm and 12 pm, when the regular protesters are joined by working professionals and businessmen who return from work in the evening.
Thousands of people, including women and children, are protesting at Shaheen Bagh and nearby Jamia Millia Islamia to oppose the CAA and the NRC. Besides Delhi, protests have unfolded in several parts of the country over the contentious law and have led to clashes at several places, including Uttar Pradesh, where more than 20 people have died.
According to the amended law, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 and facing religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship. The law excludes Muslims.
The Shaheen Bagh women took over the road after clashes between police and students at nearby Jamia Millia Islamia university. Like the grandmothers, the young mums insist they will not be moved from the rugs spread on the road where they feed babies and try to get them to sleep in the cold and the din from microphones and speakers.
"I used to avoid stepping out of the house because my baby is still small but not any more," said Samreen Sami, who is also taking part in the protests with her mother and sister-in-law.
"I want to tell Modi-ji that we are not going anywhere," she declared. "One day you will have to listen to us and take this law back."
The Delhi High Court had earlier refused to entertain a plea seeking directions for removal of demonstrators at Shaheen Bagh in order to clear road blockages that are causing traffic congestions at the DND route.