The sit-in against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act at Washermenpet in Chennai entered the 13th day on Wednesday.
The violence in the locality on February 14 led to a Shaheen Bagh-like situation, with hundreds of women launching an indefinite protest against the CAA and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR). Two of the locality’s narrow alleys — Sajja Munusamy Street and Aziz Mohamed Street — have been packed with more than 1,000 women and children wearing anti-CAA and NRC bandanas and raising anti-CAA and azadi slogans.
On the 13th day of the protest on Wednesday, the protesters conducted a baby shower function for a pregnant Hindu woman in a grand manner. The woman, Bagyalakshmi, is a resident of the area and was brought to the stage.
The protesting Muslim women adorned her with bangles and flowers. They blessed her and offered sweets and fruits, besides wishing her a safe delivery. They distributed thambulams carrying the message: “Muslims have an umbilical cord relationship with this society.”
Members of Islamic outfits sat in protest in Pulianthope and Mannady areas. Police deployed more personnel to prevent any untoward incident.
