Anti-CAA Protesters, Mostly Women, Block Major Road In Jaffrabad; Metro Gates Shut

A group of protesters, majority of them women, gathered near the Jaffrabad metro station and blocked a major road in northeast Delhi on Saturday night to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC)

The blockade continued on Sunday, prompting the authorities to beef up the security in the area. The protesters have blocked road no. 66 which connects Seelampur with Maujpur and Yamuna Vihar.

On Sunday morning, the entry and exit gates of the Jaffarabad Metro station were shut in the view of developing situation in the area.

The women, carrying the national tricolour and raising slogans of 'aazadi', said they won't move from the site till the Centre revokes the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

They tied a blue band on their arm and also raised 'Jai Bhim' slogans.

#WATCH Delhi: Heavy security deployed in Jaffrabad metro station area. Protesters are agitating near the metro station, in protest against #CitizenshipAmendmentAct. pic.twitter.com/6ZdYuqesEU

— ANI (@ANI) February 23, 2020

There was heavy security deployment, including women police personnel, in the area.

Traffic was also blocked due to the sudden protest at the site. The police were trying to talk to protesters to clear the road.

A woman, who identified herself as Bushra, said till the time CAA is not revoked, the protesters will not leave the site.

Social activist Faheem Baig said there is a resentment within the people against the way the government is handling the issue.

Shamim Ahmed, a local cleric, was in talks with the protesters at Jaffrabad to persuade them to leave the site.

A protest is already going on near the main Seelampur road and Kardampuri against the amended Citizenship Act. The protest at Jaffrabad took place at a time efforts are being made to clear a road blocked by anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh.

The protesters have been staging a sit-in at Shaheen Bagh for over two months, blocking the road connecting southeast Delhi and Noida.

The Supreme Court has appointed mediaters in an attempt to reach out to the anti-CAA protesters.

(With inputs from PTI)