On the third day of talks between the Supreme Court-appointed interlocutors and the Shaheen Bagh protesters, the women protesters told the mediators that the parallel road is being blocked by the Delhi Police. They said when the adjoining roads in the area are open for vehicular movement, why are they being asked to move to another site.
The Delhi police also admitted that the protesters hadn’t blocked the parallel road but it is the police that barricaded the road to provide security to Shaheen Bagh protest site.
Senior police officers said they are left with little option as the safety and security of the protesters, comprising of women and children is of paramount importance. Hence the radial and arterial roads leading to the protest site have been closed.
Advocates Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran, the apex court-appointed interlocutors, met the protesting women in a tent in the south Delhi neighbourhood to hold talks for the third consecutive day. The protesters jointly told the interlocutors that the Delhi Police has barricaded parallel road to the tent as well two other roads that connect Shaheen Bagh-Kalindi Kunj road and it is not they who have blocked the roads but police.
The interlocutors also asked Delhi Police officers to come at the protest site to discuss the issue with protesters. A Delhi Police official told interlocutors and protesters that the parallel road was kept shut to ensure protection to the venue. The police official added that certain other roads adjoining this area were barricaded to ensure protection to the site.
“We barricaded the parallel road to protest site (the tent) to ensure security to the protest site. If the road is open-end for commuters, we will ensure double security to protesters,” said a police official.
A woman protester stood up and told mediators, “The Government thinks the women are uneducated. We all are educated women who know what we are fighting for. The students from Jamia Millia Islamia who were teaching us more on CAA and NRC are being beaten up. If the police couldn’t stop men who fired at us how are they claiming they will protect us if parallel road will be open.
The protesters demanded that if the adjoining road to protest site (the tent) is open, the Delhi Police must ensure security of the protestors.
“We want in writing that if there is single incident of attack or firing, the police officials from SHO to Police Commissioner should be shunted out. The HM Amit Shah said NRC is not coming soon so ask him to pass circular from MHA that they are not bringing in NRC now. We want Supreme Court to pass a order on our security if the adjoining road to protest site is opened back,” said a woman protestor.
Hegde said, “The issue is not about only about opening of this road, open the roads of your heart. We all are humans and as humans if you can lessen another human’s pain, you will be a greater human.”
The interlocutors checked all roads that join Delhi to Noida late in Thursday along with some protestors and Delhi Police officials. “When we checked the roads, we noticed that you (protesters) were right. Many roads are open which were blocked by the Delhi Police. I am very upset saying this that the Noida-Faridabad road which was opened today was again closed by police. Whoever has done this is now answerable to Supreme Court,” said Ramchandran.
