BackShaheen’s Choice
What Shaheen Bagh’s protesters do now will be closely watchedThere is no denying that the protest has been a nuisance
PremiumThe Supreme Court on Monday observed that protesters cannot block a public road indefinitely. The apex court’s observation came in response to pleas for the clearing out of a long-drawn sit-in protest at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh that has sprawled over into alleys and streets in the neighbourhood. The inconvenience caused by the agitation was a political issue in Delhi’s assembly polls as well. India’s top court has issued notices to the Centre, the Delhi government and the police, but not passed an interim order on the pleas, posting the matter for 17 February. Agitators, mainly women and children, have for about two months blocked traffic on the Shaheen Bagh-Kalindi Kunj stretch that connects Delhi to Noida in protest against a new citizenship criterion for immigrants that is seen by many to discriminate against Muslims and violate constitutional equality.
There is no denying that the Shaheen Bagh protest has been a nuisance to many commuters in Delhi, and the apex court has rightly upheld the protesters’ right to protest. Notably, it has also suggested an identified area where the agitation could be moved.
What Shaheen Bagh’s protesters do now will be closely watched. The original site may have acquired an aura of sorts in the eyes of sympathizers, with some observers hailing it as a gallery of installation art, but the Constitution has been the cornerstone of the protest. Will they now heed the court’s words? Legally, they need not—yet. Also, disruption is often key to an agitation’s efficacy. But, given the political context and negative portrayals of Shaheen Bagh by India’s ruling party, staying put would bear risks. It seems like a tough call for members of a spontaneous, leaderless gathering to collectively take.
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