Attempts are being made to clear a key road in northeast Delhi's Jaffrabad, blocked by nearly 1,500 women protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA, Delhi Police said this morning. 

The women protesters are also supporting Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad's call to hold a nationwide strike today after the Supreme Court earlier this month said that "quotas and reservations for promotions for government jobs is not a fundamental right".

Demanding repeal of the citizenship law, about 200 women began the sit-in near the Jaffrabad metro station last night; they were seen carrying national flags as they shouted "Azaadi (freedom)" slogans amid heavy police presence. The crowd swelled overnight as more women and children joined them. "We want freedom from CAA, NRC," said one of them. The metro station was temporarily closed this morning due to the protests.

This morning, senior police officer Ved Prakash Surya said that policemen are holding discussions with the protesters to clear the road. "We are holding talks with the protesters so that they leave... they can't block a major road like this. We have called paramilitary security personnel also," he said.

This is the latest anti-CAA sit-in led by women in the national capital after Shaheen Bagh - the epicentre of demonstrations against citizenship law - inspired similar agitations across the country. A major road connecting the national capital to Noida, which was closed due to the anti-CAA protest at Shaheen Bagh, reopened yesterday after 70 days.

In December, thousands of protesters - holding placards and national flags - had gathered at Jaffrabad metro station against the citizenship law.

Source: NDTV

BDST: 1300 HRS, FEB 23, 2020
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