Bilkis Bano, 82
Protester
Critics may have dubbed her a professional paid protestor, but for many she embodied the spontaneous rage against the CAA and NRC. She was at the forefront of the Shaheen Bagh protests in Delhi for over three months and tried to lend her support to the farmers’ agitation as well until she was escorted away. Her staunch and unflinching anger won her a spot in Time’s 100 Most Influential People as well as BBC’s 100 Inspiring and Influential Women from around the world.
The widow from Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, lives with her daughters-in-law and grandchildren in Shaheen Bagh and does not believe women are any less than others. After a powerful interview with a TV channel in which she questioned the idea of showing papers to prove her citizenship, she became the unofficial ambassador of dissent.