BENGALURU: Women protesters at Bilal Bagh have intensified their campaign against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, by starting a relay hunger strike and demanding that chief minister BS Yediyurappa visit the site to hear their concerns.
Two women stopped eating on Tuesday and two others will take their place on Thursday as part of a cycle which will continue till the government acknowledges their demands.
The Occupy-movement-style demonstration at Bilal Bagh, organised on the lines of Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, entered its 12th day on Wednesday. The women here have demanded that the Karnataka government should not implement the controversial citizenship law and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Poet Nasreen Syed, who is among the protesters, said the decision to go on a hunger strike was the result of anxiety and pain that the participants were facing because of the government’s indifference.
“Dard ko bhi Aadhaar card se jod do na, saheb, jinko mila hai unko dubaara na mile! (Dear sir, link even the pain with respective Aadhaar cards, so that people who experienced it once don’t have to go through it again),” she said. “The indifference of the government, unconstitutional laws like CAA and NRC have killed our appetite anyway. We can’t eat, drink or sleep because of the constant worry about the state of affairs.”
According to a volunteer, about 1,000 women joined the first two protesters on hunger strike, staying off even water, on Tuesday.
The Bilal Bagh women said the developments in Delhi won’t have an impact on their stir. A Supreme Court-initiated mediation process is underway in the national capital to persuade Shaheen Bagh protesters to shift their venue of sit-in.
“We are ready to die, but won’t move from here. We will continue to fight to protect our Constitution,” said Warsi, one of the women on hunger strike. She added that the opposition to CAA had united citizens.
Another protester, Firdaus, shared a similar view. “Shaheen Bagh inspired us and this fight will continue,” she said.
Avani Choksi said Bilal Bagh had an independent existence and the events in Delhi won’t alter its course. Teresa Braggs, a student, said Shaheen Bagh protesters were unlikely to budge.
Two women stopped eating on Tuesday and two others will take their place on Thursday as part of a cycle which will continue till the government acknowledges their demands.
The Occupy-movement-style demonstration at Bilal Bagh, organised on the lines of Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, entered its 12th day on Wednesday. The women here have demanded that the Karnataka government should not implement the controversial citizenship law and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Poet Nasreen Syed, who is among the protesters, said the decision to go on a hunger strike was the result of anxiety and pain that the participants were facing because of the government’s indifference.
“Dard ko bhi Aadhaar card se jod do na, saheb, jinko mila hai unko dubaara na mile! (Dear sir, link even the pain with respective Aadhaar cards, so that people who experienced it once don’t have to go through it again),” she said. “The indifference of the government, unconstitutional laws like CAA and NRC have killed our appetite anyway. We can’t eat, drink or sleep because of the constant worry about the state of affairs.”
According to a volunteer, about 1,000 women joined the first two protesters on hunger strike, staying off even water, on Tuesday.
The Bilal Bagh women said the developments in Delhi won’t have an impact on their stir. A Supreme Court-initiated mediation process is underway in the national capital to persuade Shaheen Bagh protesters to shift their venue of sit-in.
“We are ready to die, but won’t move from here. We will continue to fight to protect our Constitution,” said Warsi, one of the women on hunger strike. She added that the opposition to CAA had united citizens.
Another protester, Firdaus, shared a similar view. “Shaheen Bagh inspired us and this fight will continue,” she said.
Avani Choksi said Bilal Bagh had an independent existence and the events in Delhi won’t alter its course. Teresa Braggs, a student, said Shaheen Bagh protesters were unlikely to budge.
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