The legal notice has demanded an apology and Rs 1 crore in damages from the BJP leader. (Photo: PTI/Facebook)

Miffed by the allegation of being paid to sit on protest, the women at Shaheen Bagh have sent a defamation notice to BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya. The legal notice has demanded an apology and Rs 1 crore in damages from the BJP leader.

Protests continue at Shaheen Bagh for the 36th day against Centre's decision to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and provisions of National Population Register (NPR). The protesters are angry over a viral video shared by Malviya, which claimed that the women, who were protesting against the CAA, were paid Rs 500 per day.

The notice has been sent by the office of advocate Mehmud Pracha who is the legal adviser for the protesters.

Two protesters -- Nafisa Bano of Zakir Nagar and Shahzad Fatma of Shaheen Bagh -- have sent the notice. They have alleged that since Amit Malviya is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in the Center, therefore has a "vested interest in defaming the mass of protesters".

The notice addressed to the BJP leader read, "By making and propagating false allegations against the protesters and casting aspersions on their motivations, you, the addressee, and other entities, have not only played a fraud on the general public but have also attempted to bring disrepute to the protesters who are bringing the attention of a large number of people on the issues being pressed by this extraordinary exercise of Constitutional freedom."

"A video posted and endorsed by you on social media site Twitter, which has been played across several media platforms, had alleged that the protesters are taking Rs 500-700 in order to be a part of the protests. Such statements are not only false but also have an effect of defaming the protestors in the national and international community," the legal notice said.

The notice alleged that Malviya's actions comprise an offence under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (Punishment for defamation) as the protesters are a readily identifiable group who stand defamed as against the rest of the community.

The offence is punishable with up to two years of imprisonment and fine.