“Thank You, Women of Shaheen Bagh”: Anti-CAA Supporters Take a Bow as Protest Site Cleared Amid Coronavirus Scare

As hard as it might be to imagine now, but there was a time when the coronavirus wasn’t the most pressing and urgent issue facing India. Before the country started to go into lockdown because of the COVID-19 outbreak, widespread opposition against the Citizenship Amendment Act had seen massive public protests across the country. Of these protests, the peaceful sit-in led by the women of Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh became emblematic of the anti-CAA movement as whole. But the pandemic has called for drastic measures, and after 101 days of continuous public protest, the site at Shaheen Bagh has been cleared in accordance with the lockdown measures put in place to halt the spread of COVID-19.

Delhi: Delhi Police clears the protest site in Shaheen Bagh area, amid complete lockdown in the national capital, in wake of #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/4IYvGCqyFL

— ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2020

This marks the first time the protest site has been empty since it began 101 days ago. However, the protesters at Shaheen Bagh had already taken note of the impact the COVID-19 outbreak would have on their movement, and already begun scaling back the protest in keeping with the norms of social distancing last week.

The Women of Shaheen Bagh have decided to continue their protest while taking full precautions that there is no spread of Coronavirus Infection. Less than 50 women are sitting at any point of time at a distance of 1 meter using masks & hand sanitisers.
Be Safe and Keep Protesting pic.twitter.com/0XnOL9VhNr

— Shaheen Bagh Official (@ShaheenBagh_) March 18, 2020

On March 22, the day of the all-India Janata Curfew, the site bore a deserted look, which actually made the supposedly “anti-national” protesters of Shaheen Bagh look more conscientious than the apparently patriotic Indians getting out on the streets to bang on utensils in large crowds on the same day.

#ShaheenBaghProtest

Women protesters of #ShaheenBagh followed #JantaCurfew .

Video – 3pm,@ReallySwara @_sayema @RichaChadha @Dr_Aqsa_Shaikh @DrHarjitBhatti @UAH_India @karwanemohabbat @NabiyaKhan11 @Khushbookhan_ #CoronaOutbreakinIndia #DeclareCoronaReliefPackage pic.twitter.com/eFHIYmna8k

— Shaheen Bagh Official (@ShaheenBagh_) March 22, 2020

While the women of Shaheen Bagh respected the Janata Curfew, even as they symbolically continued their protest, a few troublemakers decided to violate the curfew just to attack the peaceful protest site. A petrol bomb was lobbed at the demonstrators.

#WATCH :#AttackOnShaheenBagh

People of SB protest observing #JantaCurfew , few RW goons Attacked with #PetrolBomb & trying to create communal violence.@the_hindu @ttindia @ndtvindia @TheQuint @thewire_in @nytimes @AJENews @BBCWorld @BBCIndia @RanaAyyub @htTweets @cnnbrk
(1/1) pic.twitter.com/z3C0Gn0sx7

— Shaheen Bagh Official (@ShaheenBagh_) March 22, 2020

Today, the clearing of the site means it will no longer be the physical epicentre of the popular resistance movement against the CAA, but the struggle will go on. Though the authorities seem keen on eliminating the memory of this historic protest, it will not be easily forgotten. Hours after Shaheen Bagh was evacuated, workers were seen white-washing protest-related graffiti outside Jamia Millia Islamia.

This is insanity! Resistance art on walls of Jamia Millia Islamia being whitewashed at the time when these workers should have been at home. Shows that removing Shaheen Bagh protest site this morning wasn't only about Coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/0fd2d1gMRT

— Vijdan Mohammad Kawoosa (@vijdankawoosa) March 24, 2020

While trolls celebrating the end of the protest were to be expected, there has also been an outpouring of solidarity. Supporters of Shaheen Bagh have been congratulating the women who continued their movement, and have promised to not give up the fight once the threat of the coronavirus has passed.

Thank you ladies of #ShaheenBagh. You showed the world what women can achieve. https://t.co/Xqncz69XO1

— Saba Naqvi (@_sabanaqvi) March 24, 2020

Ah, this is heart-breaking.

Shaheen Bagh felt like home, it felt safe, where compassion, smiles & food were generously shared. Being there automatically invoked a sense of duty to make India more inclusive & tolerant.

Thank you dadi ma's, see you on the other side. Be safe. https://t.co/9Q1X76GceO

— Aishwarya S Iyer (@iyersaishwarya) March 24, 2020

Thank you, Shaheen Bagh. No virus can diminish what you achieved, and what you stood for in defiance of bigotry and fascism.

— Samit Basu (@samitbasu) March 24, 2020

Journalist Rana Ayub tweeted, “Once this is all over and we are back to our normal lives, it will be our moral responsibility to rebuild Shaheen Bagh and stand by the brave women protestors. The women of Shaheen Bagh have taught us to fight the good fight. My salam to each one of you.”

Once this is all over and we are back to our normal lives, it will be our moral responsibility to rebuild Shaheen Bagh and stand by the brave women protestors. The women of Shaheen Bagh have taught us to fight the good fight. My salam to each one of you.

— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) March 24, 2020

Shaheen Bagh is not just a physical space. Shaheen Bagh is not just a protest site.
It is all of us. It is a movement that we started for equal citizenship, for our self respect and dignity.
You may remove our tents. Good luck, removing our will to struggle.#ShaheenBaghLives

— Afreen Fatima (@AfreenFatima136) March 24, 2020

Though Shaheen Bagh may lie empty today, this does not yet look like the final chapter of the anti-CAA movement.