NEW DELHI: While some protesters have taken the Supreme Court’s direction as a “pressure tactic”, some said it was still a “positive sign” that the apex court did not ask them to call off their protest.
However, all the protesters said that there was no way that the ongoing protest against the CAA, NPR and the proposed NRC would be called off.
“Everyone in Shaheen Bagh is going to protest till the government rolls back CAA, NPR and NRC and admit to their blunders. There could be a solution to ease the traffic on one side of the road but the protest will continue,” said Asif Mujtaba, a student of IIT Delhi who is part of the agitation.
Mujtaba said that he felt the apex court’s direction was positive as it did not explicitly say that the protest should be stopped. “Given that the SC categorically refused to provide any deadline to the protest... shows that they are respecting our democratic right to protest,” he added.
However, this sentiment does not resonate with all. Nadeem Khan, another protester believed that SC’s direction was a “pressure tactic” and that it was due to the blockade that the government had taken these protests seriously in the first place.
“It was a way for us to pressurise the government. This (protesting) is our right... Our demands are legit and instead of sending the government to us to have a dialogue, the apex court said we should vacate,” Khan added.
Mohammad Yusuf, who has been engaging with protesters, mainly kids, at Shaheen Bagh said 90 per cent of protesters do not want to move from the road but personally fells that it is time to address the traffic woes.