Global InformationShaheen Bagh protest information
| Shaheen Bagh protest | |
|---|---|
| Part of Citizenship Amendment Act protests | |
 Shaheen Bagh women protesters blocking a major road (Road 13A GD Birla Marg, Shaheen Bagh - Kalindi Kunj area) in New Delhi | |
| Date |
|
| Location | Shaheen Bagh, Delhi, India 28°32′34″N 77°18′09″E / 28.54278°N 77.30250°E |
| Caused by | Passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 and the following police intervention at Jamia Millia Islamia |
| Goals | To roll back Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) and prevent implementation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) |
| Methods | Sit-in, demonstrations, civil disobedience, hunger strike, public lecture, public debate, art (graffiti, poster, scale model, poetry, storytelling, street performance, puppetry) |
| Status | Halted for lockdown related to the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Protest did not resume. On 7 October 2020, the Supreme Court judged that Shaheen Bagh type protests, which occupy public places indefinitely, are not allowed. |
| Lead figures | |
Non-centralized leadership [a] | |
| Casualties | |
| Death(s) | 0 [b] |
| Injuries | 1 |
| Arrested | 10 [c] |
  Location within Delhi  Shaheen Bagh protest (India) | |
The Shaheen Bagh protest was a peaceful sit-in protest in Delhi, India, that began on 15 December 2019 and lasted until 24 March 2020. The protest was led by women who blocked a major road[d] at Shaheen Bagh using non-violent resistance 24×7.[10][11][12] Mainly consisting of Muslim women, the protest began in response to the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) on 11 December 2019 and the ensuing police intervention against students at Jamia Millia Islamia who were opposing the Amendment. Protesters agitated against the citizenship issues of the CAA, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR), in addition to police brutality, unemployment, and poverty, and for women's safety. The Delhi Police barricaded major roads in and around the area, affecting more than 100,000 vehicles a day and adding hours to some journeys. Following the North East Delhi riots, police presence in the area temporarily increased with over 1000 personnel being assigned to Shaheen Bagh. After the COVID-19 outbreak in India and subsequent government-enforced restrictions the protest continued for several days in a more controlled manner. Following the complete lockdown imposed in Delhi on 23 March 2020, the remaining protesters were arrested or forcefully removed from the site by the Delhi Police.
The barricaded and tented venue drew large crowds with tens of thousands of protesters participating. Some days saw over 150,000 at the venue. The protest inspired similar copycat protests across the country, such as those in Gaya, Kolkata, Prayagraj, Mumbai and Bengaluru.[13][14] The leaderless protest became politicized and was generally against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. The blockade became a campaign issue in the 2020 Delhi Legislative Assembly elections, especially for the BJP. BJP's campaign was negative towards the Shaheen Bagh protests with a number of campaigners making controversial statements such as "goli maaro" (English: Shoot them). Some BJP campaigners promised to immediately remove the blockade after being voted into power and were accused by their opponents of prolonging the demonstration to agitate voters. BJP won an extra six seats as compared to the last election while Aam Aadmi Party retained a clear majority with 62 seats.
A number of petitions were filed to stop the blockade. The Delhi High Court refused to hear the first two pleas and on 14 January 2020 declared the blockade to be a police matter. The Delhi Police said that they would not use force to end the blockade. A third petition highlighted the difficulty faced by students with upcoming board examinations. The matter reached the Supreme Court of India, which appointed three mediators to initiate conversations with the protesters regarding shifting to a location which wouldn't block a public place. In response to the batch of petitions filed against the protestors, the Supreme Court of India stated on 7 October 2020 that the "indefinite" occupation of public space for protest or expressing dissent was not acceptable.
One of the Shaheen Bagh protestors, 82-year old Bilkis,[15] was listed in Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2020, BBC's 100 Women and was also named as the 'Women of the Year' in the 2021 edition of The Muslim 500. Delhi Police labelled Sharjeel Imam as one of the 'masterminds' of the protest. While the protest was praised for a number of reasons some commentators called it a failure with regard to the main goal of revoking CAA.
- ^ "Shaheen Bagh's 101-day protest: Timeline of sit-in against CAA". The Indian Express. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ Bhasin, Swati (24 March 2020). "Shaheen Bagh Anti-CAA Protesters Removed Amid Delhi Lockdown". NDTV. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ "Shaheen Bagh protesters will have to follow ban on gathering over coronavirus: Kejriwal". Hindustan Times. 16 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ Gupta, Chahak (15 July 2020). "Where are Shaheen Bagh's protesters now?". Newslaundry. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ "Infant dies after catching cold at Shaheen Bagh, mother to return for anti-CAA protest". The India Today. 3 February 2020. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
- ^ "Shaheen Bagh protest site cleared by police as Delhi goes under coronavirus lockdown". India Today. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ "Covid-19: Delhi court grants bail to three Shaheen Bagh protestors accused of defying lockdown". Scroll.in. 30 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ "Delhi Court grants bail to three Shaheen Bagh protesters". The Hindu. 30 March 2020. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ Kakvi, Kashif (7 December 2020). "MP: Man spends 5 months in prison for forwarding a WhatsApp post in support of Shaheen Bagh protest". National Herald. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
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