There was tension during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh when a section of protesters called off the protests after 20 days on Thursday, citing “politicisation” of their “peaceful protest”. However, some agitators did not accept the call off and continued with their protests.
Sharjeel Imam, a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University, from Shaheen Bagh coordination committee said: “We called off the Shaheen Bagh road blockade to avoid the impending violence from goons of political parties and to avoid politicisation of the stage by parties.”
Sharjeel Imam is one of the organisers of the Shaheen Bagh protests which began on 14 December with the local residents in the Muslim-majority area blocking the highway connecting Kalindi Kunj-Noida demanding withdrawal of the CAA. “As the elections are approaching, political parties are interested in hijacking the protests,” Imam added.
With the Shaheen Bagh protests gaining momentum amid widespread media coverage, political parties are seen manoeuvring the protests for their political gain ahead of the Assembly polls.
An activist, one of the volunteers in the protest, said: “We try not to let the politicians use our protests for their political agenda, but the parties are using various means to hijack the protests. Several organisations and activists who were not participating in the protests earlier are now trying to become flag bearers of our protests.”
Meanwhile, rumours are afloat that people have been bribed to call off the protests. However, a source who is aware of the development said that the decision to call off the protests was taken after consulting all stakeholders. The source said: “Before announcing the call off, a meeting was held with the local maulanas, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), local shopkeepers and senior citizens of the locality. The decision was taken keeping in mind the safety and security of the protesters as the BJP too is planning to organise a Tiranga rally in Sarita Vihar. So, the decision to call off the protests was taken collectively to avoid any kind of communal tension in the area. We all know who will benefit politically if such a situation arises.” The source added that local shopkeepers too wanted the call off as it is affecting their business.
Another activist alleged that Asif Muhammad Khan, ex-Congress MLA of the Okhla constituency, was trying to hijack the protests through money, muscle and biryani for electoral gains in the upcoming Delhi Assembly election. “The Congress is spending a lot of money on the food and other means for protesters. Congress goons are threatening people who called off the protests not to come to the demonstration. They are trying to hijack the protest for their electoral gains through its various fronts while working under the veil of minority right organisations,” the activist said.