It has been over two months since the sit-in protest at Shaheen Bagh began on December 15, 2019, after the Citizenship Amendment Act was passed on December 11, 2019. The protesters blocked a major part of a highway connecting Delhi to Noida to protest against the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR). Similar protests took place in other cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Prayagraj. Here are some important moments from the protest.
Updated On: 2020-02-21 08:30 AM IST
The sit-in at the Shaheen Bagh area of Delhi began on December 15, 2019, just days after the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed. The participants led by women protested against the CAA, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR), among other issues such as poverty, inflation, unemployment, and safety for women. Similar protests were held in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Prayagraj and few other places. (Picture/ PTI)
On New Year's Day, the protesters ushered in 2020 by singing the national anthem at the protest site and on January 26, they celebrated the Republic Day by hoisting the national flag there. (Picture/ PTI)
The protestors at Shaheen Bagh blocked the highway that connects Delhi and Noida, a route used by school buses and other vehicles. It had become one of the major campaigning issues during the Delhi assembly elections. A PIL was filed by BJP leader Nand Kishore Garg and Amit Sahni through their lawyer Shashank Deo Sudhi that sought appropriate directions to the Centre and others concerned for removal of the demonstrators from Shaheen Bagh near Kalindi Kunj. (Picture/ PTI)
A plea was also filed to the Supreme Court that requested supervision on the protesters to avert possible issues of violence. (Picture/ PTI)
The Shaheen Bagh protests also saw two instances of violence which included two pistol-wielding men, at separate incidents, opening fire at the site, sparking fear and panic. According to the police, the gunman who opened fire at the area on February 1, was firing in the air and was overpowered by the police. (Picture/ PTI)
The next day another man opened fire in the air at the Shaheen Bagh area. The police detained the man, who was identified as a resident of Dullupura village in Delhi." According to the police, the crowd wanted to rough up the youth but the police prevented the situation from getting out of hand. The people also raised slogans against the police. (Picture/ PTI)
In February, a four-month-child, whose parent was protesting at the site, died after developing fever due to the harsh winter. The death of the child become an issue as the role of children at protests was questioned by the Supreme Court. (Picture/ PTI)
The apex court further said that the protest at Shaheen Bagh was going on for long and it cannot create inconvenience for others. The bench said it would not pass any direction without hearing the other side and posted the matter for February 17. (Picture/ PTI)
Anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh, had called for a march till Union Home Minister Amit Shah's residence on February 16, but did not receive permission from the Delhi Police. In a letter to the protesters, the New Delhi district police said the march will pass through two more districts and request for it has been sent to the police headquarters for further appropriate actions. The protestors had to postpone the march after the police asked them to do so. (Picture/ PTI)
Senior advocates Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran, mediators appointed by the Supreme Court to engage with the anti-CAA protestors for shifting the venue from Shaheen Bagh, on February 19 reached the spot and interacted with them. While interacting with the anti-CAA protestors at Shaheen Bagh, Ramachandran said that their right to protest should not affect the right of others to use public road and services. (Picture/ PTI)
