Varanasi activist Ekta’s infant was being taken care of by her grandmother Sheela Tiwari for the past two weeks since the couple’s arrest. (Source: Twitter/ANI) Varanasi activist Ekta’s infant was being taken care of by her grandmother Sheela Tiwari for the past two weeks since the couple’s arrest. (Source: Twitter/ANI)

Fourteen-month-old Champak was reunited with her mother Ekta Shekhar after she was granted bail Wednesday. Both Ekta (32) and her husband Ravi Shekhar (36), who run an NGO, Climate Agenda, were among the 73 people who were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police on December 19 while protesting against the amended Citizenship Act in Varanasi.

“My baby daughter Champak is dependent on my milk, I was worried about her. It was very tough for me,” Ekta told news agency ANI after being released.

Ekta’s infant was being taken care of by her grandmother Sheela Tiwari for the past two weeks since the couple’s arrest. Besides activists, those arrested included members of Left-wing political parties and students.

Champak’s grandmother had told The Indian Express that she was struggling to take care of the infant. “For six days now, Baby Champak is without her parents. It’s hard for us to take care of her as every now and then she starts crying for her mother. Since her birth, Ekta has never left her alone and now this is happening,” said Ravi’s mother Sheela Tiwari.

Narrating the incident of Ekta’s arrest, Sheela further said, “On Thursday, around 11 am Ekta left the house saying she is going to buy milk and diapers for Champak. But around 3 pm, I got a call that she and Ravi have been arrested. In the past, they have been detained by police for protests but every time they have returned in a few hours. This time, we kept waiting and they did not come. Around an hour later, I got another call saying their phones will be taken away and there will be no more calls.”

According to senior police officers, 56 people were arrested on December 19 from Beniyabagh locality which is under the purview of Chetganj police station. They were participating in a protest organised by CPI, CPM, and CPI(M-L), they said. Another 17 people were arrested the same day from nearby localities, including the Dashashwamedh Ghat.

Uttar Pradesh witnessed maximum violence on CAA which led to 19 deaths, with 1,100 people being arrested. The state government also slapped notices on 372 people following damage to public property and cited Supreme Court recommendations and Allahabad High Court order to justify the “badla” on rioters that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanth had referred to in one of his speeches.

(with ANI inputs)

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