Have taken all precautions, say protesters

Women protesters in Shaheen Bagh on Friday said they will continue their sit-in against the amended citizenship law on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to remain indoors on March 22 as part of a ‘people’s curfew’ to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The women have been blocking a side of a road connecting south-east Delhi to Noida since mid-December to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

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On Monday, the Delhi government had banned the gathering of over 50 people in light of the outbreak, the size of the gatherings has since been reduce to 20 people. “It also applies to Shaheen Bagh,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said.

On Friday, the protesters said that not more than 50 women were sitting on the site at any given time.

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“On Sunday, we will sit under small tents. Only two women will sit under each tent and maintain a distance of one metre between them,” a protester said.

Another protester, Rizvana, said the women had been taking every precaution and they were covered in burqa all the time. “Washing hands regularly is part of our lifestyle. We offer namaz five times a day and we wash our hands every time,” she added.

Ritu Kushik, another protester, said women aged above 70 and children less than 10 years old were not being allowed at the protest site.

“The women are not sitting on mattresses any more. Cots have been brought in and there is a minimum distance of three metres between every two cots. No more than two women can sit on one cot,” he said.