Thousands of protesters gather for Chennai’s ‘Shaheen Bagh’

Organised by the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munetra Kazhagam, women, men and children took part in the protest. “We are protesting here with our families today because we want to stand in solidarity with those in Delhi who have been protesting non-stop so far. We are Chennai’s Shaheen Bagh, and we will fight for our rights,” said Nazeera Banu, a protester.

Water bottles were distributed to the protesters, who had congregated since the afternoon. The crowd also halted the protests for the Muslim protesters to carry out their evening prayers. “We are also taking means to regulate the traffic and make sure there are no congestions. When people see us protesting, they will read more about the issue and understand our perspective. At the same time, we do not want to cause any problems to the public,” said Syed K, a volunteer managing traffic. He added that locals would provide food to the protesters when needed.

Children were also seen chanting with the crowd. “This is a freedom struggle. The government says that we are not allowed to live here anymore, and that we must go to Pakistan. That is not correct. If they ask me to go to Pakistan, I will fight,” said 12-year-old Abdul Fazil, who came with hisfamily.

Women taking part in the protest were seen sitting separately from the men. “This is our land as much as it is anyone else’s. My grandfather, father and I are from here. We have family in India. We are just as Indian as anyone else,” said Aynun Hidhaya, another protester.

MLA Thamimum Ansari addressed the protestors and urged for cooperation with the police force and not hinder the traffic. T Rathinam, Tamil Nadu State Secretary, SDPI, who was also at the event, said, “The people are here because they have a want that is not being met by the government. Despite their beliefs and their stance of not repealing the bill, the people are still taking to protests against the government’s stance.”