New Delhi: Till Sunday night, women protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act since December last year were sitting in the open at Shaheen Bagh in the national capital.
There were social media updates on the continuing protest by the women, predominantly Muslim, at a time when at least two lives have been lost to the deadly coronavirus in the country and several people have tested positive, including seven in Delhi.
Following in the footsteps of several other countries, India has issued a number of lockdown measures, including shutting international borders, discouraging large gatherings, and asking schools and universities to remain closed for the next few days, to contain the virus.
On Monday, the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi barred the gathering of more than 50 people at any place across the national capital that put a question mark on the Shaheen Bagh stir.
As the protesters mull their next step, several activists and civil society members are urging them to leave the spot and find alternative ways of agitation.
After three months of relentless peaceful stir without any leadership – political or religious, several women from the community are also talking discontinuing the protests in the open and in large gatherings in view of concerns over the spread of coronavirus.
According to some of the women, the fight is for survival and the deadly virus (also called COVID-19) threatens that very survival. To keep the fight alive and ensure that the thousands of protesting voices are heard, leave the spot and devise alternative methods of protest, they said.
Rana Safavi, Author
By sitting in public, we are exposing the vulnerable old and young to the virus. We can see what is happening all around the world. There is a complete lockdown. We have not reached that stage yet, but precautions need to be taken. The protests have continued for long and we need to focus on finding an alternative to large public gatherings. A different mode has to evolve, but not the one that puts us at risk due to the coronavirus.
Social distancing is being practised at all levels and, it is time we get up from Shaheen Bagh and discontinue large gatherings. The decision needs to be taken in the light of the health risk we are exposed to, and we can come back after the threat subsides.
Shaheen Bagh is a very significant space, it has evolved as a centre to preserve the constitutional values. It must be preserved that way by adding more art and posters there. We can use technology by holding video conferences of a small number of people from the spot. Protestors can find out a way, but right now, it is important to leave the spot of public gathering.
Iqra Khilji, protest poet/law student
We can't afford to put poor and grassroots-level protesters, comprising children and elderly people, at risk. The leadership must be responsible and negotiate with protesters and tell them that passion cannot turn into recklessness, because this compromise is not with respect to the establishment, but for our own safety.
We cannot lose lives to this recklessness. The curve that the epidemic followed in Italy and Spain is enough to show that we should not take this seriously. In Italy it started with four people and this week, over 300 lives have been lost in a single day. The leaders who insist on continuing the stir need to be told: you cannot use these people as fodder for your relevance. We're fighting for our survival and the pandemic is a threat to that very survival.
Zakia Soman, activist
It has been over 90 days since the protests began, but with the outbreak of the coronavirus, it may be time to adopt different approaches. Physical protests or sit-ins are effective and their impact has been witnessed by all. The women of Shaheen Bagh need to transition to other innovative strategies using social media, post-card campaigns, short videos and such other means.
The countless students and other volunteers can help take the campaign ahead. There are many children accompanying their mothers to the protest site and they are vulnerable to the coronavirus. Older women are equally vulnerable. Both sides — protestors and the government need to take a few steps towards a healthy resolution to the crisis.
The government needs to reassess its stance on the CAA without which peace and harmony in the country would remain disturbed. Also, any legislation must conform to the constitutional principles of equality, justice and non-discrimination based on religion. It remains to be seen whether the elusive middle ground between the government and women of Shaheen Bagh comes about in the times of the coronavirus.
Fathima Muzaffar, AIMPLB-IUML member
Yes, the threat is real. The Federation of Tamil Nadu Muslim Political Parties and Organisations recently held a press meet at Mount Road, Chennai, wherein it was informed that due to the coronavirus outbreak, we need to postpone the anti-CAA protests. The coronavirus has turned into a pandemic and threat to all.
We have also appealed to the protestors taking part in Shaheen Bagh-like agitations in Tamil Nadu to halt their sit-ins. Several leaders have emphasised that this appeal is being given in national interest and to ensure safety of all. It was discussed that if the government proceeds with the exercise of National Population Register, then the people will agitate more strongly and indulge in non-cooperation movements.
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