Puzzled but not going to give up: Shaheen Bagh protestor after firing

NEW DELHI:  Protesters in Shaheen Bagh were left puzzled after a man fired bullets in the air on Saturday saying that they expect a “peaceful reaction to peaceful protests” instead of bullets. “We heard the bullets being fired... They want to scare us but people are angry and puzzled. We are expecting the Central government to come forward and have a dialogue with us but instead, its allies are coming here and firing bullets,” said Nadeem Khan, one of the protesters.

He said that people were cautious and wary to ensure that no miscreant made their way to the protest site, but the man who was apprehended came from Sarita Vihar which is opposite to the protest site. Arshad Alam, another protester said that these bullets were not going to dissuade the crowd and that the protest was not going to stop anytime soon regardless of outside pressure. “Everything is normal now. People discussed the incident but the protest will continue,” he added. Shaheen Bagh has been reverberating with anti-CAA protests since 15 December, last year.

With women mainly at the helm of affairs, the protest site has become the face of anti- CAA protests across the country. Kainaat who is a teacher, has frequently visited the protest site and believes that even guns and bullets will not stop the demonstrations against the contentious Citizenship Amendement Act (CAA). “There is genuine fear among the people here, but it won’t deter anyone. People won’t leave so easily... The public is fighting for basic rights and their genuine demands have to be fulfilled,” said Kainaat.