The women of Bilal Bagh have shown how a protest can be held even in the midst of a pandemic. While most people remained in lockdown, the organisers have been carrying out a symbolic protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act for over 80 days. They have organised the protest in such a way that all precautionary and preventive measures, including maintaining social distance and hygiene, are being followed.
Shortly after the lockdown was imposed, a handful of protesters, one of whom is from the transgender community, moved to a hall on Tannery Road, and have not left since then. “It’s a huge hall. We are able to maintain physical distance from each other as well as spend the night there,” said one of the protesters.
The Bilal Bagh protest began on February 8 on Tannery Road. At the time, the hall, which is in the vicinity, functioned as a library and activity centre, and was also used by the protesters for various purposes, including cooking food.
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“Some people always stayed here from day one and have converted it into a beautiful space,” said Warsi who hasn’t returned home since the lockdown.
Protesters say that the symbolic protest has kept their hopes and spirits up.
“We are probably the only Bagh continuing the protest. Others were forcefully cleared. We have moved in here. We are not defying any law. We didn’t want the protest to be stopped because of COVID-19. Since we are up against a deadly pandemic, we shifted the site indoors. We are not giving up,” Warsi added.
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Sai Adrian, who identifies as a transman and has also been staying at the protest site from day one, said, “We are here to stay and we will stay till the Act is revoked.”