The Shaheen Bagh protest is an ongoing 24/7 sit-in peaceful protest, led by women, that began with the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in both houses of Parliament on 11 December 2019 and the ensuing police intervention against students at Jamia Millia Islamia who were opposing the Amendment.[1][2][3] Mainly Muslim women, the protesters at Shaheen Bagh, since 15 December 2019,[4] have blocked a major highway[a] in New Delhi using non-violent resistance for 43 days now as of 26 January 2020.[5] It has now become the longest ongoing continuous protest against CAA-NRC-NPR.[6]
The leaderless protest now is not only against CAA and police brutality, but also against the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR), and the BJP government in general.[5] The protesters have also supported unions opposing the government's "anti-labour policies" and have protested against recent happenings such as the 2020 JNU attack as well as shown solidarity with Kashmiri Pandits.[7][8] The barricaded and tented venue has drawn large crowds; The Wire notes that lakhs of protesters have turned up over the days.[9] However on 26 January 2020, Republic Day, expectations by the protesters of 1,000,000 people turning up at the protest were cited by the media to be false, with only less than 5000 people actually gathering.[10] The Shaheen Bagh protest has inspired similar Shaheen Bagh-style protests across the country, such as in Park Circus, Bihar, Prayagraj, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
The leaderless protest now is not only against CAA and police brutality, but also against the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR), and the BJP government in general.[5] The protesters have also supported unions opposing the government's "anti-labour policies" and have protested against recent happenings such as the 2020 JNU attack as well as shown solidarity with Kashmiri Pandits.[7][8] The barricaded and tented venue has drawn large crowds; The Wire notes that lakhs of protesters have turned up over the days.[9] However on 26 January 2020, Republic Day, expectations by the protesters of 1,000,000 people turning up at the protest were cited by the media to be false, with only less than 5000 people actually gathering.[10] The Shaheen Bagh protest has inspired similar Shaheen Bagh-style protests across the country, such as in Park Circus, Bihar, Prayagraj, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Four petitions have been filed to stop the blockade. The Delhi High Court refused to hear the first two pleas and on 14 January 2020 said this is a police matter. The Delhi Police have said they will use "persuasion" and won't use force to end the blockade. Notably, the protesters are also protesting against police brutality and government apathy. However the leaderless nature of the protests are making it harder for the police to take action and the protesters have refused to move. A third petition was filed on 18 January 2020, highlighting the difficulty students are facing, as well as the coming board examinations; the High Court accordingly directed the police to look into it. The matter has also reached the Supreme Court.
The blocked road affects more than 100,000 vehicles a day with some 25 - 30 minute journeys taking 2 - 3 hours. As the area is also a border point into the capital, thousands of trucks are being diverted to other border points. The Delhi BJP chief has also requested the protesters to stop as a result of the inconvenience being caused to lakhs of commuters.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked authorities to provide counselling for children present at the protests.[11] A complaint was received saying that the children have been misinformed by their parents about the Amendment and detention centers. Many of these children have been seen in viral videos of the protests.[12]
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