A wedding livened up proceedings at the anti-CAA protest site at Lala Gunda in Washermenpet on Monday, the fourth day of the sit-in by the women of the area.
“I accept the bride but not CAA, NRC or NPR,” declared the groom, biscuit-vendor Shehenshah, to the cheers of family and friends, all of whom have been at the venue, which is fast turning into Chennai’s own Shaheen Bagh, since Friday night.
Decked in her wedding finery, the bride, Sumaiya, raised anti-CAA slogans in response.
Sumaiya was among those attacked by the police on Friday night, triggering widespread protests in Tamil Nadu. On Monday too, demonstrations were held at several places in Madurai, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Perambalur and Trichy districts.
Sumaiya and Shehenshah, who had been at the protests from the beginning, were beginning to wonder if their wedding would take place as scheduled since their families were all at Lala Gunda. That’s when friends and families convinced them to get married at the protest site.
As soon as the ceremony presided over by the Imam ended, the couple continued with the protest as did several hundred others, many of them college students.
Mohamed Tahir, who studies at New College in the city, was spotted with the national flag painted on his face. He said the Citizenship Amendment Act is against the Constitution and the protest at Washermenpet was for everyone and not just for Muslims.
Aamir Saifuddeen, another college student, accused the police of using force against peaceful protesters. “We have evidence of their excesses while arresting the protesters on Friday night,” he said and accused the AIADMK of aiding passage of the CAA in Parliament.
Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s statement in the assembly that agitators provoked the police by throwing stones and chappals drew an angry response from a woman who was injured in the police action.
"The chief minister is protecting the police and not the public," she said and pointed out that the authorities had broken the rules by allowing male police personnel to arrest women protesters. "I was attacked with a lathi and arrested by police. They kept us in a marriage hall from 7.30pm to 11.30pm without giving water or food. The police excess has caused anger and a flurry of protests across the state," she added.
Sabreen, another student from Old Washermenpet who has been protesting since Friday, said, "Today it is Muslims of the country (being targeted). Tomorrow it could be anybody. We are fighting for everyone, for our children's future."
CPI (M) state secretary K Balakrishnan, Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam president M H Jawahirulla, Tamimun Ansari MLA, and Karti Chidambaram MP visited Lala Gunda on Monday and lauded the courage of the women for protesting against the CAA.
“I accept the bride but not CAA, NRC or NPR,” declared the groom, biscuit-vendor Shehenshah, to the cheers of family and friends, all of whom have been at the venue, which is fast turning into Chennai’s own Shaheen Bagh, since Friday night.
Decked in her wedding finery, the bride, Sumaiya, raised anti-CAA slogans in response.
Sumaiya was among those attacked by the police on Friday night, triggering widespread protests in Tamil Nadu. On Monday too, demonstrations were held at several places in Madurai, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Perambalur and Trichy districts.
Sumaiya and Shehenshah, who had been at the protests from the beginning, were beginning to wonder if their wedding would take place as scheduled since their families were all at Lala Gunda. That’s when friends and families convinced them to get married at the protest site.
As soon as the ceremony presided over by the Imam ended, the couple continued with the protest as did several hundred others, many of them college students.
Mohamed Tahir, who studies at New College in the city, was spotted with the national flag painted on his face. He said the Citizenship Amendment Act is against the Constitution and the protest at Washermenpet was for everyone and not just for Muslims.
Aamir Saifuddeen, another college student, accused the police of using force against peaceful protesters. “We have evidence of their excesses while arresting the protesters on Friday night,” he said and accused the AIADMK of aiding passage of the CAA in Parliament.
Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s statement in the assembly that agitators provoked the police by throwing stones and chappals drew an angry response from a woman who was injured in the police action.
"The chief minister is protecting the police and not the public," she said and pointed out that the authorities had broken the rules by allowing male police personnel to arrest women protesters. "I was attacked with a lathi and arrested by police. They kept us in a marriage hall from 7.30pm to 11.30pm without giving water or food. The police excess has caused anger and a flurry of protests across the state," she added.
Sabreen, another student from Old Washermenpet who has been protesting since Friday, said, "Today it is Muslims of the country (being targeted). Tomorrow it could be anybody. We are fighting for everyone, for our children's future."
CPI (M) state secretary K Balakrishnan, Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam president M H Jawahirulla, Tamimun Ansari MLA, and Karti Chidambaram MP visited Lala Gunda on Monday and lauded the courage of the women for protesting against the CAA.
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