Anti-CAA protests: Persecution of peaceful dissenters must be stopped, says Mahila Ekta Yatra

Mahila Ekta Yatra has issued a statement protesting against a chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police in F.I.R No. 59/2020, assigning blame for the communal violence in North-East Delhi in February 2020 to protestors, activists and students who were peacefully opposing the CAA/NRC/NPR. The chargesheet, filed in September 2020, also mentions the Mahila Ekta Yatra.

“As organisers and participants of the Mahila Ekta Yatra, we know that the allegations and insinuations against us are completely false and fabricated. They are part of a persistent effort to suppress legitimate, peaceful expression of political opinion and opposition by criminalising it through perverse re-scripting of the truth and facts,” the statement says.

It has been issued by Annie Raja, Anjali Bhardwaj, Dipa Sinha, Shabnam Hashmi, Kamla Bhasin, Navsharan Singh, Vani Subramanian, Poonam Kaushik, Maimoona Mollah, Amrita Johri, Philomina John, Suroor Mander, Aditi, Radha, Suneeta Dhar and Priya Pillai.

Here is the complete text of the statement:

The women-led peaceful protests against the CAA, NRC and NPR became a powerful symbol of democratic resistance, inspiring solidarity from across the globe. Women, especially from the Muslim community, expressed their firm opposition to laws and policies that have differential impact and consequences on citizenship of different religious communities and vulnerable groups. To express this view point round the clock peaceful sit-in protests were held in Delhi and many parts of the country.

To express solidarity with the women who were upholding the spirit and values of the Indian Constitution, the Mahila Ekta Yatra, comprising women from diverse backgrounds and faiths, visited some sites of protest against CAA/NRC/NPR on the 14th, 15th and 16th of February 2020.

At the protest sites, we reaffirmed our commitment to a secular and inclusive India. To safeguard these values, we opposed the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposal to create a National Register of Citizens (NRC) through a National Population Register (NPR). These measures would disproportionately impact the poorest and vulnerable groups, including migrant labour, homeless, small farmers, Adivasis, indigenous communities, Muslim community, Dalit Bahujan masses, women and transgender persons, who would not be able to furnish the necessary documents to prove citizenship as required by the proposed CAA/NRC/NPR combine.

At the protests sites we spoke about women's rights and other democratic rights, including the right to education, food security, social security and the right to information. We collectively read the Preamble of the Constitution and sang songs of peace and harmony.

The chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police in F.I.R No. 59/2020, assigns blame for the communal violence in North-East Delhi in February 2020 to protestors, activists and students who were peacefully opposing the CAA/NRC/NPR. The chargesheet, filed in September 2020, also mentions the Mahila Ekta Yatra.

As organisers and participants of the Mahila Ekta Yatra, we know that the allegations and insinuations against us are completely false and fabricated. They are part of a persistent effort to suppress legitimate, peaceful expression of political opinion and opposition by criminalising it through perverse re-scripting of the truth and facts. The chargesheet invokes the draconian UAPA to intimidate and silence dissenting voices and curtail personal liberty through long periods of incarceration.

In our work and our struggles, we, as part of the women's movements, have consistently opposed all forms of inequality, injustice and discrimination. The various struggles for human rights and justice we have been associated with, have one thread in common – a deep commitment to constitutional values and principles.

We shall not be intimidated. We shall not be silenced.

53 persons were killed in the communal violence in Delhi. Unfortunately the Delhi Police, which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has taken no action against persons who made incendiary speeches and called for violence. Recent developments have made it clear that an independent judicial inquiry needs to be conducted into the manner of investigation by the Delhi Police. Judicial oversight is required to prevent malicious prosecution.

We, the participants of the Mahila Ekta Yatra, demand that all steps be taken to ensure that real perpetrators of the Delhi violence are brought to book and the persecution of peaceful dissenters is immediately stopped.