News Reader.info

The affidavit lists the concerns of the anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh. The women protesting against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register

of Citizens (NRC) have informed the Supreme Court that they are 'deeply hurt' at being labelled as 'anti-nationals' and 'Pakistanis' by a dominant section of

politicians, and even the media. Via an affidavit filed by the Supreme Court-appointed mediator Wajahat Habibullah, the Shaheen Bagh protesters also said that the central government has made

no attempts to have any constructive dialogue with the anti-CAA demonstrators. They also urged the top court to hear petitions challenging the controversial act as soon as possible. The

Supreme Court-appointed interlocutor, Wajahat Habibullah has filed an affidavit in the apex court regarding road blockage in Shaheen Bagh. In his affidavit, he blamed the police for

"unnecessarily blocking the roads" and also called the protests in Shaheen Bagh 'peaceful.' The affidavit also lists the concerns of the anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen

Bagh. "...while they are proud citizens of the country, they are deeply hurt at being abused and labelled as anti-national/outsiders/ traitors/ Pakistanis in various political speeches

as well as a section of the media,” the affidavit read. The protesters have said that they chose Shaheen Bagh particularly for their demonstration because “it gives them the much-required

security because it is flanked on both sides by the Shaheen Bagh colony”. Therefore, the chances of “threatened attacks on them are considerably less than they would have been had the

protest been held at any place away from the present site.” Wajahat, in the petition, also stated that that the police have blocked five points around Shaheen Bagh. He added that if the

blockade is removed then the traffic will function normally. He also suggested that the government should engage in a dialogue with the protestors regarding CAA, NPR and NRC. The hearing on

the matter is scheduled to be held on Monday by a two-judge bench. Supreme Court-appointed interlocutors -- senior advocates Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran -- have held three days of

talks with the protesters over the issue of difficulty to commuters due to blocking of roads. Earlier on Friday, the road from Noida through Kalindi Kunj towards Faridabad was reopened for a

brief period by the UP Police, only to be closed a few minutes later. According to reports, the police removed the barricades on the stretch from Noida's Mahamaya flyover to Delhi and

Faridabad was opened just for the passage of a bus. They were placed again after a few minutes. Protesters at South Delhi's Shaheen Bagh have been sitting in protest against the

Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) for over two months. Protesters, largely comprising women, have refused to move out of the road before their

demands are met.