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.