We won’t move an inch even if we are fired at, say protesters

Tears and defiance as protesters meet SC interlocutors, say they will clear the protest site only after the CAA, NRC and NPR are removed

We won't move an inch even if we are fired at, say protesters

Supreme Court appointed interlocutors Sanjay Hegde (L) and Sadhna Ramchandran (C) interact with the protesters at Shaheen Bagh on Wednesday. Pic/PTI

New Delhi: There were tears and defiance too as the women of Shaheen Bagh poured their hearts out to the two Supreme Court-appointed interlocutors on Wednesday, the first attempt to reach out to those sitting in protest against the citizenship amendment legislation for more than two months. Advocates Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran as well as former bureaucrat Wajahat Habibullah went to Shaheen Bagh, the epicentre of the anti-CAA protests, to speak to the women and attempt to find a way out of the impasse.

Many said they will clear the protest site only after the CAA, NRC and NPR were removed. "The Supreme Court has upheld your right to protest. But other citizens also have their rights and those should also be maintained," Ramachandran told the crowd. Responding to the concerns raised by the women, Ramachandran said all the points will be put forward before the SC and discussed in detail. "However, I want to say one thing. A country that has daughters like you can never face any threats," Ramachandran said. The sit-in, which has been going on since December 16, has blocked a critical arterial road connecting Delhi and Noida.

The women, young and old, tried to explain their point of view to the interlocutors. Bilkis, one of the feisty 'dadis,' has been demonstrating against the CAA since the protest began. A defiant Bilkis said they will not move until CAA is repealed. "They call us traitors. When we pushed Britishers out of the country, who is Narendra Modi and Amit Shah? We won't move an inch even if someone fires at us. You remove NRC and CAA, we will clear the site in no second," she said as the crowd cheered. The talks, which lasted for almost three hours, will continue on Thursday.

March in Chennai

Thousands of protesters on Wednesday sang the national anthem as they took out a march towards the State Secretariat from Walajah Road to protest against the CAA, NRC and NPR in Chennai. Members of various Muslim outfits took out a massive protest march earlier on Wednesday.

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