Lucknow: Undeterred by several FIRs slapped on the protesters, the women-only sit-in against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), inspired by the Shaheen Bagh agitation, at Lucknow’s iconic Clock Tower launched a door-to-door campaign to spread awareness and garner more support against controversial law.
The protest at Clock Tower, which is locally known as the Ghantaghar, was initially started by a handful of women and eventually swelled as thousands turned up along with their children in solidarity with the anti-CAA agitators. Meanwhile, the All India Democratic Women Association (AIDWA) has already begun its door-to-door campaign.
The Ghantaghar protest ground now reverberates with the National Anthem and loud reading of the Preamble to the Constitution accompanied by patriotic songs and sloganeering.
“Gandhi ke vaaste, Ambedkar ke raste” (for sake of Gandhi, the ways of Ambedkar) and “Kagaz nahi dikhayenge hai’ (we will not show papers)” are among the most echoed slogans.
“We have been staging a sit-in for a month now. We were not allowed to put up tents first, then electricity was snapped, then toilets were locked down. Also, our male family members were manhandled by the policemen for extending their support to us and many were booked with several charges, but we are undeterred. Our protest is gaining strength with each passing day,” said one of the Clock Tower protesters.
Earlier on Friday, the Ghantaghar Coordination Committee had organised a “Mushaira” to celebrate ‘love and resistance’ on Valentine’s Day. The event named as ‘Bazm-E-Mushaira, Celebrating Love and Resistance’ will also see some renowned poets taking part in it. Some of the famous names invited for the Mushaira include Shabeena Adeeb, Hasan Kazmi, Soaib Anwar along with Jauhar Kanpuri, Charan Singh Basher, Umar Farooqui, Anupam Srivastava and Pappu Lakhnavi.
“There is a reason behind naming the event with ‘Love and Resistance’. As we all know that today forces are working towards dividing the society, so on the occasion of Valentine’s Day we will give a message of love and peace to the people from Ghantaghar,” Shahrukh Ahmed, a member of the Ghantaghar Coordination Committee said.
Meanwhile, police forces have also been deployed near the protest site. Several FIRS have been filed and hundreds of unnamed people have been accused of violating section 144 of the Indian Penal Code but nothing has deterred the protesters till now.
Former Uttar Pradesh Governor Aziz Qureshi was recently booked by the Lucknow Police for participating in the protests and holding a candle-light march against the CAA and the NRC. An FIR was registered against Qureshi and others at the Gomti Nagar Police station under Sections 145 and 188.
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