Move stir to another site, govt requests Mumbai Bagh protesters

Will think about it, say agitators

The women sitting in protest at Mumbai Bagh have promised to consider relocating the site of the agitation, as suggested by Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. A delegation of women met Deshmukh at Mantralaya on Thursday.

Thousands of women have been staging a sit-in at Morland Road, Nagpada for the last 20 days. The place is now being referred to as Mumbai Bagh. Home Minister Deshmukh has been appealing to them, asking them to call off the agitation. "Despite warning from the police department, they are not ready to move. The agitation has no permission from them. It should end immediately," Deshmukh told the media last week.

At his meeting with the women on Thursday, he requested them to end their protest. But the women are not ready. "We want a written assurance from the government that it will not implement the National Citizenship Register (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR) in the state. Also, we want the state legislature to pass a resolution against the CAA/NRC like Punjab, Kerala assemblies did," Hasina Khan, amember of the delegation told The Free Press Journal.

However, Deshmukh could not make any promises. He requested them to shift the agitation to another place and promised to get them permission for such a protest from police. " We will discuss this proposal with all the women at the protest site and then take a call on this issue," the agitators told Deshmukh.

"We need support from police or the governnment, like drinking water and mobile toilets at the protest site. Deshmukh promised that these amenities will be provided if we shift to another place," Khan said.