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In western, southern and northeastern India, several large cities, including Chennai and Bombay, have been the scene of massive rallies. In eastern New Delhi, a peaceful demonstration that started on December 15 stands out for its longevity and the role that women play in it.
With our correspondent in New Delhi, Antoine Guinard
India had another day of protest against the new citizenship law this Saturday, December 28. The demonstrators braved the cold and once again gathered in the middle of the big six-lane artery that crosses eastern Delhi, in the Shaheen Bagh district.
Sitting on blankets, a hundred Muslim women spend their night on the asphalt for the 13th consecutive time . They too are protesting against the new law.
" We will stay here as long as it takes : one year, two years, five years, twenty years. After my death, my children will come (demonstrate) . The government will have to listen to us , ”exclaims Farhana, one of the demonstrators. She vowed not to give up the fight before the law was withdrawn, suspected of having the real objective of ostracizing the Muslim community.
A response to police repression
For the organizers, the non-violent nature of the sit-in and the central role played by women is the best weapon against police repression. “ The demonstration has been peaceful since the first day and will remain so. And since women are on the front line, the police cannot use force so easily, ”said Asif Mujtaba, a researcher at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology and one of the organizers of the demonstration.
Shaheen Bagh's mobilization drew the attention of the whole country. A veritable popular gathering, often festive in appearance, it shatters the line of the Modi government, which for two weeks has been denouncing the violence perpetrated by the demonstrators and thus justifying the repression.