Caravan News
NEW DELHI – Students Islamic Organization of India (SIO), the largest Muslim students group, on Monday condoled the death of 57-years-old Sameeda Khatoon, Who died during anti-CAA protest in Kolkata against the religiously discriminatory citizenship law, NRC and NPR. The organization paid rich tributes to her who laid down her life for the anti-CAA cause.
SIO said Sameeda Khatoon was suffering from illness for the past many days but that didn’t deter her from participating in the ongoing continuous sit-in protest against CAA, National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at the Park Circus in Kolkata.
It is noted that the sit-in protest at Park circus was kicked off on the lines of Shaheen Bagh of Delhi. It just began few days after the Shaheen Bagh which was the first sit-in protest outside Delhi. The protest here christened as “Swadhinata Andolan 2.0” which means “Independence Struggle 2.0”.
While paying tributes to Sameeda Khatoon, fellow protesters said that she was very determined and used to come in the ongoing protest despite of her illness.
Even the cold weather didn’t deter her from participation. She was the one of the many silent and peaceful protesters who were raising their voice against the new law.
According to reports, Khatoon fell severely sick around midnight yesterday. Soon she was taken to nearby Islamia Hospital for treatment but she didn’t respond to the treatment and at around 1 am on February 2, she was declared dead due to cardiac arrest. Her funeral will be performed today itself in Kolkata.
She is the “First Lady Martyr” of ongoing nationwide Anti-CAA protests. It is to be recalled that so far 30 people had sacrificed their lives in the ongoing pan-India protest against CAA as most of them fell to the police bullets.
While condoling her death, SIO General Secretary Syed Azharuddin said that, “we can’t let her sacrifice go in vain and we will not forget it. We stand by his family in this hour of grief. We will continue the struggle till this black law is taken back.”
The government should at least come forward now and repeal the amended law and announce that it would not roll out NPR and NRC in the country, he said and added that the government must take into account the continued protests across the country.
