Braving the bitter cold and a dark night to make their voices heard
Women and children with Tricolour protest against CAA and NRC at Clock Tower 24x7
LUCKNOW: As a thick blanket of fog enveloped the city on Friday night and people hurried home, a group of burqa-clad women, some with their children, stepped out into the cold and gathered under the Clock Tower in Chowk to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC .
The group stood on the pedestal of the Clock Tower. Some of them fished out posters with antiCAA messages, raised slogans of ‘aazadi’, waved the Tricolour and sang ‘Sare jahan se achha Hindostan hamara’.
More women joined group, coming in pairs or small groups and by the stroke of midnight all the steps of the pedestal were full .Tthe sloganeering continued even though the fog thickened and a chilly wind started blowing, . Within an hour, the iconic Clock Tower and the area around it turned into in buzzing protest site led solely by women.
The protest resembled the one in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, UP’s Kanpur and Prayagraj.
Ayesha Siddique, a 38-year-old home maker left her four-yearold son with her mother-in-law but failed to hold back her 7-year -old daughter Zainab. The mother and daughter sat on the step holding each other. “I had to bring her along when she refused to stay back. I now realise that her presence gave me strength to stand against this divisive Act passed by the government. The CAA will destroy the future of our children and we are here to fight it,” Ayesha said
The power supply was cut by the local administration in an attempt stop the women and the entire area plunged into darkness, but it only strengthened the protesters. They lit candles and sang the national anthem.
A few men who reached the spot after midnight tried to light a fire and put up a tent for the women but were stopped by the policemen guarding the area. Even this failed to deter the protesting women. They tied a large banner to the wall of the Clock Tower and took shelter under it. Carpets and quilts were brought from homes. Somebody brought some food which the women shared and called it a day.
Some women returned home while Ayesha and around a dozen others slept their under the makeshift shed braving the cold.
The protest continued and turned bigger on Saturday . “Hum Ambedkar, Gandhi wale hain, na harenge na manege,” said Zainab Siddique, a social activist who joined the protest in the morning.
Ayesha Siddique returned home with her daughter in the morning after her sister-in-law arrived to take her place at the protest. “I will return in the afternoon after feeding my children. We are ready to sacrifice everything but will not allow the government to divide this country by implementing CAA, NRC or NPR,” Ayesha said. Snacks and tea were distributed to the protesters. Additional police force was deployed on the spot by the afternoon and cops prevented men from getting close to the Clock Tower . “Men can cause trouble and also make the protest violent,” said a senior police official.Women who were allowed to join the protest came on foot, on scooters and with their family members to participate in the protest.
Zubair Nazmi, a local cleric came with his newly wedded wife. He walked with his wife to the edge of the Clock Tower and left as cops signalled him to move away. “I am worried for her safety but I believe that police will not use force against women and children. Even I want to join the protest but it’s better that women take the lead in this protest,” said Zubair adding, “You know what police did to us after the protest last month.”
The protesters had a skirmish with the cops after the latter took away their quilts and snacks. The protesters claimed they were kept at a side. Police deployment was also beefed up late in the night to ensure law and order,
said senior police officials.
Madhu Garg ,an office -earer of All India Democratic Women Association (AIDWA), Congress worker and activist Sadaf Zafar along with other women also participated but the protest was steered mostly by local women.
Some of the protesters even
objected to the involvement of Sadaf Jafar fearing that it might make the protest political. “We are not from any political party, nor do we need their support. We here to protest for our country and each other under the right given to us by our Constitution,” said Rukhsana Zia.