Heavy rain on Wednesday night did not dampen the spirit of women protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens in Deoband. The protest is on at the Idgah ground of the town in Saharanpur district for the last 46 days.

“This is the sixth time that we have faced a downpour in the last 46 days. It has become part of the routine now. Around 2,000 to 3,000 women were on the ground last night. We have female volunteers and male supporters who help us out. Yesterday, somebody brought a tractor motor to take out the water,” said Iram Usmani, one of the faces of the protest.

Amna Roshi, president of the Murtahida Khawatin Committee (Women’s Unity Committee), said besides the ill-effects of the CAA she was also making the protesters aware of the dangers of COVID-19. “Though every Muslim is expected to perform ablution five times a day, we are still insisting that women be extra careful with children,” she said.

Ms. Roshi said the administration was applying pressure on the male members of the protesters to weaken the agitation. “My brother, who is a journalist with a reputed Hindi daily, has been booked along with two other journalists. The administration very well knows that we don’t allow any male members to take the stage at the protest site. Hum apni marzi se aaye hain aur apni marzi se jayenge (We have come out of our own accord and will go back at our own will),” said Ms. Roshi.

A post-graduate, Ms Roshi said those who were leading the protest were educated women and see spreading information about the ill-effects of the CAA and the NRC as their responsibility. “Otherwise, the future generations will question us. Many of those sitting here don’t even have ration cards,” she said.

On the protests against CAA being held responsible for the Delhi riots by the BJP leaders, Ms Roshi said their protest was through Gandhian means. “Our Facebook page is called Satyagraha and we have put a charkha at the protest site.”

Irked by a section of the media, she said every fatwa from Deoband makes national news but a 46-day protest is yet to make national news.

Appeal to PM

Ms. Usmani appealed to the Prime Minister to look at the plight of his sisters. “There has been no clear response from the government on CAA-NRC. Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh says that it sees 130 crores Indians as Hindu society. Our forefathers chose this country because it believed in unity in diversity.”

She alleged that meat shops were being shut, e-rickshaws were being challaned and people were being asked to show maps of their houses to put pressure on the protesters.