india

Updated: Feb 17, 2020 05:49 IST

The Delhi Police on Sunday refused permission to anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh for a spontaneous march to Union home minister Amit Shah’s residence and engaged them in talks following which the protesters agreed to continue their protest at the venue till they are granted official permission for the march.

“They (Shaheen Bagh protesters) told us that they wanted to take out a march (to meet HM) but we told them they cannot as they do not have an appointment call from Union Home Minister. We are talking to them and we hope that they will understand,” RP Meena, DCP (South East), said according to ANI.

Following their discussion with the police, the protesters decided to continue their stir at Shaheen Bagh.

The police had laid a heavy security cordon in riot gear around the protest site.

The protest is being spearheaded by senior women who have come to be referred to as the Dadis of Shaheen Bagh. As people started to gather, the Dadis began speaking to the police.

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After the discussion, the Dadis said they had assured the police that they will not violate any protocol (by carrying out an unauthorised march to Shah’s residence) and continue the protest at the venue (Shaheen Bagh) till they get permission.

Earlier in the day, protesters insisted that all of them wanted to meet Shah instead of deputing a delegation. Police had then denied permission for the march.

A group of protestors at Shaheen Bagh had earlier indicated that they would go to meet Shah on Sunday afternoon to discuss the controversial legislation following his statement on Thursday that he was ready to discuss it and whoever wanted to discuss issues related to the CAA with him could seek an appointment from his office.

“(We) will give time within three days,” Shah had said.

The protesters have been insisting that the CAA be rolled back and that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) should not be implemented.

Shah had strongly defended the CAA which fast tracks Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslims illegal migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan but said there was no provision in the new law that would divest the citizenship of Indian Muslims.

Shah also said that the government had so far not taken any decision on a nationwide NRC, and made it clear that those unwilling to show their documents during the National Population Register (NPR) exercise, which gets underway on April 1, were free to do so. The NRC is aimed at identifying illegal immigrants and the NPR is a biometric repository of people resident in India.

The CAA has sparked protests across different parts of the country with many protesters replicating the Shaheen Bagh model.

Opponents of the law say it is unconstitutional, discriminatory and divisive because it makes citizenship a test of religion.