Zafar Aafaq | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – #ShaheenBaghZindaHai trended on twitter on Monday as activists reiterated their resolve to protest against the citizenship Act (CAA) even as the governmental agencies are carrying out a systematic crackdown on their leading lights amidst the coronavirus lockdown.
A number of twitterati posted massages with the hashtag that highlighted the “spirit of Shaheen Bagh”.
#ShaheenbaghZindaHai
Shaheen bagh will never die . B coz it's a revolution, it's a history ,it is a thought process, it is a muslim womens strength ,Its a reply for hate .its me ,its she ,yes hijabi's movement . Who can kill shaheen ?— khalida parveen (@kparveen2005) May 11, 2020
Shaheen Bagh, a neighbourhood near Jamia Millia Islamia University, became an iconic symbol of anti CAA protests after women started an indefinite sit-in on a highway. It inspired many such sit-ins in towns and cities across the country after Indian government passed a controversial law in December 2019 that grants citizenships to migrants from neighbouring countries leaving out Muslims.
Shaheen Bagh will rise again to save the nation from the onslaught of Hindutva fascism & continue its struggle to save the constitutional principles and democratic ideals on which India was founded. @AyshaRenna @ladeedafarzana @UmarKhalidJNU #ShaheenBaghZindaHai pic.twitter.com/lp5h5gn2hR
— IndianAmericanMuslimCouncil (@IAMCouncil) May 11, 2020
On the first day of the lockdown, Delhi Police, taking advantage of the eerie silence, went to the spot and bulldozed the makeshift infrastructure at the sit-in.
Accused Te**orist Prag*a Th*kur on Bail is MP and Law Maker.
A Ph.D. Student Safoora Zargar is in Jail under UAPA for Fake Charges!#ShaheenbaghZindaHai
— أمينة Amina (@LuvAminaKausar) May 11, 2020
Shaheen Bagh had emerged a shared space for democratic and secular groups and activists to raise their voice against the policies that critics say is undermining the secular character enshrined of the country enshrined in the constitution.
From all the #ShaheenBaghs of Mumbai I visited,my perception changed for Muslim women being a Muslim woman myself,it was not an experience for me, it was lesson for me.
"jaha kisi daaman pe nahi koi daagh hai,
us ujlay pallu ka naam #ShaheenBagh hain."#ShaheenBaghZindaHai pic.twitter.com/lUj1fR8NIH— Fatima Zohra (@Fatima_Z0hra) May 11, 2020
The space also played a role in dispelling the stereotypes about Muslim women who used it as a platform to showcase their level of emancipation.
Given that the police are cracking down heavily on anti CAA activists it is now uncertain whether the sit-in will resume once the situation returns to normal. The Police have booked and jailed a number of activists, many under the controversial anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
#ShaheenBagh is a thought, a ray, the dawn of which will soon appear, and its opponents listen, it has just calmed down, it is not over, it will return soon…!!#ShaheenbaghZindaHai #ArrestSambitPatra@AyshaRenna pic.twitter.com/tcsF1fkupl
— Qamar shahi (@QamarShahi1) May 11, 2020
But some say that it is just a phase and that the protests will return as soon as situation allows.
