Rally by women, trans and queer persons on Friday to mark Savitribai Phule’s birth anniversary

Women, trans and queer persons across the country have called for a rally on Friday, ‘to claim and assert our constitutional rights as citizens of a socialist, secular and democratic republic’.

They also plan to ‘oppose the agenda of spreading hatred between people and the use of indiscriminate violence on unarmed protestors with complete impunity’.

January 3 marks the birth anniversary of the pioneering educationist and social reformer from Maharashtra, Savitribai Phule. It is celebrated as Women’s Day by Dalit feminists in India.

In the 1800s, Savitribai, along with Fatima Begum Sheikh, worked tirelessly for the education of women and girls. They both courageously stood up to forces that tried to stop their mission.

“We unequivocally reject the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR). This process, which claims to identify illegal immigrants, is highly problematic as it treats every Indian citizen with suspicion. The combination of the NRC and NPR will force each person to prove their citizenship, thus disproportionately putting at risk people from marginalised communities,” the rally organisers said in a press release.

The rally is organised by several organisations, which includes AIDWA, AIQA, AISA, AISF, All India Network of Sex Workers, Aman Biradari, ANHAD, AUDQC, BAPSA, BASO, Basti Suraksha Manch, Centre for Struggling Women, Collective, DASAM, Delhi Solidarity Group, Democratic Teachers' Front, DISSC, DSF, DYFI, Egalitarian Trails, Feminism in India, Hasratein: A Queer Collective, Jamia Queer Collective, Khudai Khidmatgar, Krantikari Yuva Sangathan, Mahila Nigrani Parishad - Women's Federation, Muslim Women’s Forum, NCHDR, National Hawker Federation, National Network of Sex Workers etc.