Shaheen Bagh protests lose steam; BJP blamed for Delhi violence

A large number of people, mostly women, have been holding a sit-in protest in Shaheen Bagh area since mid-December last year that led to blocking of Noida-Kalindi Kunj road.
Delhi Police remove barricade to open road from Shaheen bagh no 09 Kalindi kunj to Noida in New Delhi India on February 22. (Photo | EPS)
Delhi Police remove barricade to open road from Shaheen bagh no 09 Kalindi kunj to Noida in New Delhi India on February 22. (Photo | EPS)

NEW DELHI: The protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizen (NRC) in the Shaheen Bagh area saw a drop in intensity and the number of protesters on Friday.

Till 1 pm, the number of protesters was low. Reacting to clashes in north-east Delhi, a protester, Mujahib said, "We condemn the violence. A lot of weak and helpless people have been killed in the violence." He said the Bharatiya Janata Party and the RSS were "solely respsonbile for the violence."

Another protester, Shabnam, when asked about the low number of protesters, said, "It is because of the Friday prayers... We hope that the number would increase."

On Thursday, Delhi Police said they had received information through social media that a large group of people will come to Shaheen Bagh from Madanpur Khadar on March 1. "We took it seriously, in light of the current situation in the national capital. We came to know that locals will join in and carry out a peaceful protest,"  Meena, Deputy Commissioner of Police South East Delhi said: said.

He said that the police department called meetings of Aman Committees at different locations and then all the stakeholders were called to the DCP office.

He added that everyone agreed that they will stay peaceful and the protest will be postponed indefinitely.

A large number of people, mostly women, have been holding a sit-in protest in Shaheen Bagh area since mid-December last year that led to blocking of Noida-Kalindi Kunj road.

The Supreme Court earlier this week appointed senior advocates Sanjay Hedge, Sadhana Ramachandran besides Wajahat Habibullah as interlocutors to talk to the protestors here and urge them to clear the road.

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