New Delhi, February 23: Women at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) have expressed anguish at being labelled as anti-national and Pakistanis by a section of politicians and media. In an affidavit filed through former Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Wajahat Habibullah, the protesting women urged the Supreme Court to hear petitions challenging the CAA at the earliest. Anti-CAA Protests in Delhi: Entry and Exit Gates Shut at Jaffarabad Metro Station as Women Stage Shaheen Bagh-Like Protest.

"While they are proud citizens of the country, they are deeply hurt at being abused and labelled as anti-national/outsiders/ traitors/ Pakistanis in various political speeches as well as a section of the media," the affidavit said. The agitating women added that the CAA and NRC could sound the "death knell for their survival and existence". In the affidavit, they revealed why they chose Shaheen Bagh to stage a sit-in against the CAA and NRC. Shaheen Bagh Protesters Observe Two-Minute Silence In Solidarity With Kashmiri Pandits.

The affidavit stated: "It gives them (women) the much-required security because it is flanked on both sides by the Shaheen Bagh colony." Therefore, the chances of "threatened attacks on them are considerably less than they would have been if the protest had been held at any place away from the present site". Wajahat Habibullah, who is an intervenor in a plea seeking lifting of road blockade by anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh, said he found that the police has unnecessarily barricaded roads unconnected to the protest.

"It is these barricading of unconnected roads that has led to a chaotic situation," Habibullah submitted, adding that the police are "wrongly laying the blame on the protest". Due to the Shaheen Bagh protest, which commenced on December 15, the Shaheen Bagh–Kalindi Kunj stretch is shut for over two months. Why Citizenship Amendment Act+NRC Raise Fear And Concerns: A Multi-Dimensional Take.

The CAA gives Indian citizenship to people belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian communities fleeing religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The law excludes Muslims. Critics say the CAA, along with NRC could make Indian Muslims stateless.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 23, 2020 04:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).