Clarion India
NEW DELHI — At least a dozen prominent women’s rights organisations and over 70 women academicians have appealed to the government to revoke the controversial citizenship act and withdraw any plans of NRC and NPR as India gears up to take unprecedented measures in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The organisation and the women academicians have issued a joint statement lending their support to the ongoing women’s lead movement against the CAA, NRC and NPR.
Slamming the government for its lackadaisical approach towards the demands of protestors, the statement said, both central and state governments and institutions have consistently refused to engage with these peacefully protesting citizens, instead making them a target to malign, attack and deride.
For the last three months, India has been witnessing a protest movement in the form of women-led sit-in appealing the government to revoke the CAA, NRC and NPR which critics say are discriminatory and anti-constitutional.
While lauding women for leading the protests and reiterating the support to the fight against CAA, NRC and NPR, they ask the governments to ensure that the NPR process is either completely withdrawn or deffered.
Clarion India reproduces the statement verbatim:
Addressing The Burning Concern of Women Of India!
As the country is gearing up to fight the threat of the corona virus pandemic, an equally enormous concern is looming over the women of India. For the last few months, thousands of women have been sitting in protest throughout the country, representing the concerns of majority of the population in demanding withdrawal of the NPR/NRC/CAA project. The gravity of their concerns can be gauged by their continued assertion that even if they survive the corona virus, they will still face a cruel and inhuman death at detention centers. Yet both central and state governments and institutions have consistently refused to engage with these peacefully protesting citizens, instead making them a target to malign, attack and deride.
It is a fact that galvanizing the undivided energy of the women from every home, where all preventive measures such as physical distancing, will actually be playing out, is imperative if the country is to fully fight the pandemic. In the face of such an unprecedented challenge, women have come forward with innovative methods to continue the challenge to NPR/NRC/CAA while joining the fight against corona. The fight against one cannot dilute the other.
State and Central governments need to take executive measures to ensure that the entire the process of NPR data collection is deferred for the present, and completely withdrawn in the long run.
As representatives of women’s collectives, movements and organizations, and as individuals working for human and gender rights,
• We reiterate our support to the women’s protests against NPR/NRC/CAA the across the country.
• We appeal to the elected representatives of the people to withdraw the process of NPR/NRC.
• We need to work together to fight both the pandemics of Covid 19 and the looming threat of detention camps.
REPEAL CAA, NO NPR/NRC/ NO CORONA PANDEMIC.
That is our collective demand
Signed: (23 March 2020)
National Federation of Indian Women Pragatisheel Mahila Sangathan
Saheli Women’s Resource Centre, New Delhi
All India Democratic Women’s Association
National Federation of Indian Women, Delhi Unit
MAKAAM , National Al Forum For Women Farmers Rights
Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS)
Centre for Struggling Women (CSW)
Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS)
North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS)
Nawasha, RTFC
Vani Subramanian, Film maker, New Delhi Yes we support the demands
Pratiksha Baxi, JNU, Delhi
Ayesha Kidwai, Professor Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jyoti Goyal, Pragatisheel Mahila Sangathan
Dr. B. Karthik Navayan, Adv from Hyderabad
Prakriti: Core Committee Members of the Gender Discussion Forum, Azim Premji University.
Padma, Advocate, Vishakhapatnam Committee for Release of Political Prisoners
S.Chatterji
Vasanta
P. K. Vijayan, Delhi
Ashok Bhowmick
Nandita Narayan, Sociologist, Delhi
Subrat Kumar Sahu, Independent Filmmaker, New Delhi
Prof. S. Seshaiah, President APCL , Andhra Pradesh
Erica Lobo Nirmala Niketan
Maitrai Agarwal
Vishwathika Sitaram, Azim Premji University
Natty Lopes ‘sakhya’_ mumbai baugh
Anomita sen, Faridabad
Maya Krishna Rao, Theater Artist
Deepti Bharti, GS, NFIW Delhi
Achla, Citizen of India
Annie Raja, NFIW
Gargi Chakravartty, NFIW
K.B. Hina, PMS
Anuradha Banerji, Independent Researcher, New Delhi
Dr Alita Ram- ACT
Ania
Sunila Singh, Independent Researcher, New Delhi
Sandhya, POW (Progressive organization of Women)
Rushda Siddiqui, NFIW Delhi
Kairan
Anand Teltumbde
Farida Khan
Aparajita Sharma. RTE Enthusiast
Dimple Oberoi Vahali, Independent Activist
Nitabelliappa
Mrigank
Seema Kulkarni, Pune
Maya John, Center for Struggling Women (CSW)
Najma Rehmani
Soma KP, Researcher, New Delhi
Harish Gautam, Krantikari Yuva Sangathan(KYS)
Tara Rai, Ashoka University
Sonali
Kalpana Diwedi
Avijit Dutt
Tejaswini Niranjana, Writer
Priyanka , Mahila Manch
Nandita Narayan Delhi University
Amandeep Kaur, Istri Jagriti Manch Punjab
Varsha Mehta, independent consultant and researcher
Aparna IFTU
Nitin Basrur, Pune
Freeda Nicholas, Lawyer, Mumbai
Johanna Lokhande, Mahrashtra
Praveen Saptarshi, Maharashtra
Mukund Bahalkar, Mahrashtra
Vikas Kirote, Hum Bharat Ke log
Dyaneshwar Mote, Maharashtra
Smita Gupta, Economist, Delhi
Ajita Rao, Dalit Feminist/Activist, Delhi
Vineet Tiwari, Progressive Writers Association
Jaya Mehta, Joshi Adhikari Institute of Social Studies
Anu Verma, Ahmedabad
Poonam Kaushik, Pragatisheel Mahila SangathanNivedita Jha, NFIW Bihar
Shobha, PMS
Radha, PMS
Pamela Philipose, Journalist, Delhi
Dr. Ranjana Kumari, CSR
Padmini Kumar, Delhi
M.L. Murthy
