‘Imran, I am here only’, ‘ I am Nuzhat, I am present here 24X7’, ‘Saad Abdullah, Na NRC, NO CAA no NPR’. These are some of the placards kept at the Park Circus Maidan, Kolkata — the place which has become the epicentre of anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in the State since the first week of January 2020.
Not only placards but also dozens of pairs of shoes, scarfs and dupattas have been kept at the ground with names of the people who have left these articles behind. On Wednesday afternoon, there were five to six people at the ground, including two elderly women on the stage with face masks, sitting a few metres apart.
“About five to seven people are at the ground every hour, including during the night. The police have allowed only this kind of crowd here,” Abid Rana Karim, one of the protesters, told The Hindu . He explained that what was going on at the ground was ‘symbolic protests’.
A chair next to the stage has the name of Asmat Jamil, one of the main organisers of the protest which started at the ground on January 7. Ms. Jamil said it was a conscious decision on the part of the organisers to keep placards, shoes and clothes so that the symbolic protest continues.
“We support the lockdown but we will not allow it to bulldoze our protests,” said Nousheen Baba Khan, who has been associated with the protest from the very beginning.
Ms. Khan said, “It was the people who decided to leave some of their belongings.”
As the temperature increases, one of the elderly women decides to take a break. She, however, ensures that she leaves a placard with her name.
