Shaheen protesters upset over ‘traitor’ tag: Former CIC in affidavit

NEWDELHI: Protesters at Shaheen Bagh pushed for the Supreme Court to hear petitions on the contentious new citizenship law as the central government had not engaged with them to understand their concerns over the law and a possible national register of citizens (NRC). They are also anguished at being labelled “traitors” and “Pakistanis”.

These were among the points highlighted by former chief information commissioner (CIC) Wajahat Habibullah, in an affidavit filed with the Supreme Court. Habibullah is one of the three interlocutors, the others being senior lawyers Sanjay Hegde, Sadhna Ramachandran, appointed by the apex court to find a solution to the protests at Shaheen Bagh.

Habibullah is an intervenor in a plea before the Supreme Court by advocate Amit Sahni and BJP leader Nand Kishore Garg seeking lifting of road blockade at Shaheen Bagh.

In his affidavit, the former CIC told the court that the women at the protest site had requested him to place their view point before the court.

The protestors, the affidavit said, reaffirmed that they are proud citizens of the country.

“That while they are proud citizens of the country, they are deeply hurt at being abused and labelled as anti-national/ outsiders/ traitors/ Pakistanis in various political speeches as well as a section of the media.”

The protesting ladies were expressing peaceful dissent against the citizenship amendment Act (CAA) since the controversial steps on CAA along with the National Register of Citizens could sound the “death knell for their survival and existence”, the affidavit stated.

They said that they chose the particular site for protest because “it gives them the much required security because it is flanked on both sides by the Shaheen Bagh colony”. Therefore, the chances of “threatened attacks on them are considerably less than they would have been if the protest had been held at any place away from the present site.”