Taking a cue from Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters have been assembling for two hours everyday outside the iconic Albert Hall Museum here since January 2. The protesters have drawn attention of Indian and foreign tourists visiting the 130-year-old museum built in the Indo-Saracenic architecture style.
Braving chilly winds, women and children have joined the protest in large numbers every evening, raising slogans and waving banners and placards with messages against CAA and the proposed National Register of Citizens. The participants select a theme of poems, songs, slogans and speeches everyday to make the protest attractive.
“Our emphasis remains on the Constitution and its principles of justice, equality and secularism. We explain in simple terms that citizenship is everyone's right, regardless of caste, creed and religion,” Mujahid Naqvi, Rajasthan High Court's lawyer and a leader of All India Milli Council, said. Interestingly, the protest has been organised by a loosely held group of civil society organisations.
The protest concludes everyday with a reading of the Preamble to the Constitution. Yasmeen Farooqui, convener of women's wing of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said a peaceful protest was the only option available to the vulnerable sections targeted by the BJP government through its “anti-democratic and illegal” move to enact the CAA.
On Thursday, activists holding the copies of Constitution and portraits of B.R. Ambedkar chanted the slogans such as “Red salute to Shaheen Bagh”, “Inquilab Zindabad (long live the revolution)” and “Kala Qanoon Waapas Lo (take back the draconian law)”.
Dalit activist Pavan Dev said the protesters were inspired by the prolonged agitation at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi and had distributed kites carrying messages against CAA and NRC to celebrate Makar Sankranti. The groups represented at the protest venue include Nagrik Manch, Rajasthan Samagra Seva Sangh, Bhim Army and the Association for Protection of Civil Rights.
Nagrik Manch general secretary Basant Hariyana said a long march would be held from Shaheed Smarak to Raj Bhavan here on January 24 to submit a memorandum to Governor Kalraj Mishra with the demand for immediate repeal of CAA. (EOM)
