We'll soon regroup at a new venue, say protestors of #OccupyGateway

People protest against CAA and NRC at the Gateway of India on Tuesday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

The #OccupyGateway movement was called off on Tuesday after protesters were forced by the city police to 'relocate' to Azad Maidan. The organisers, however, remained firm about carrying out protests against CAA and NRC.

At a closed-door meeting later in the evening, they decided to rework their strategy and intensify their demonstration, starting today. After 30 hours of launching the spontaneous protest at the Gateway of India to raise their voice against the brutal mob attack on the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), the protesters were at 7 am told by police to shift their base to Azad Maidan.

Those fighting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC), however, said that the eviction has further strengthened their movement. "We held on to the Gateway of India for 30 hours - that itself is a major victory," said Feroze Mithiborwala, one of the founding members of 'Hum Bharat Ke Log'.

The protesters said the protest has only been temporarily called off to reorganise and re-strategise. Pic/Suresh Karkera

'We won't budge'
"It was stupendous. They [authorities] wanted us to shift on Sunday night as well, but we did not budge. There is an onslaught of dictatorship in India… We are saving this country by protesting. When institutions of the State are failing to save the country, and instead using goons to beat up students, people will have to come out and protest peacefully... They have the right to do so," he said. Mithiborwala, also the President of 'Bharat Bachao Andolan', said Mumbai has turned into the centre of resistance against fascism.

Azad Maidan, the 25-acre land located near CST station, is known for being the epicentre of some of the most memorable and peaceful agitations that have taken place in the city over the past decade, however, the agitators believe they need a better option now.

'Azad Maidan is boring'
"Azad Maidan is highly boring... It is better to move on to the next phase," Mithiborwala said, adding that on Wednesday 'Hum Bharat Ke Log' would support the call for Bharat bandh and that there would be demonstrations in 8-10 different parts of the city. "People can go attend the protest closest to them." He said there will also be two major calls for protest this month. "One will be on January 17 and another on January 30 -- the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. I also want to thank the police and the government because they are letting the students do this [protest]."

The protesters said the agitation has only been temporarily called off to reorganise and re-strategise. "We don't want confrontations going south... This resistance is a long process. If we all sit in one place, how will that happen?" asked Fahad Ahmad, a core committee member of Hum Bharat Ke Log who has been leading the anti-CaA movement in Mumbai.

The members of Hum Bharat Ke Log, along with students, held a closed door meeting on Tuesday evening at Islamic Gymkhana, Marine Lines. "The aim is to reorganise ourselves... If we have to make bigger alliances then we have to re-strategise. At the meeting we also made appeals to exercise caution, and to not unnecessarily provoke the media, and the need for personal screening," Ahmad said.

Jan 17
Day the next protest has been planned in city

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