The flagging spirit of Shaheen Bagh, recognised as the epicentre of the nationwide protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act until March, has been rejuvenated with the outbreak of the farmers' protest. Muslim activists who cut their teeth at Shaheen Bagh have made it their habit to wend their way to the outskirts of Delhi, to express their solidarity with the Sikhs, whose presence dominates the army of farmers amassed there. They say their journey is an expression of gratitude to the community that was so outspoken in its support for the anti-CAA protest. They also perceive a link between the anti-CAA and farmers' movements, both sparked because of laws perceived unjust.

It is sheer serendipity that the farmers should have besieged Delhi at the completion of one year of the protest against the CAA, which Parliament passed on December 11. Muslims are heartened that they are not alone in resisting the Indian state's lurch towards authoritarianism. Yet their trips to the outskirts of Delhi convey to them the stark difference between the state's treatment of the farmers' protest and their own against the CAA. The farmers are indulged and negotiated with, in sharp contrast to Muslims, who were ignored, demonised and violently targetted. This comparison saddens them, as it establishes their inferior status, but it also bolsters their resolve to fight for equality.