Hyderabad: About 200 women Hyderabadis intending a sit-in at Mir Alam Eidgah got upset when they found police surrounding the entire place and not allowing anyone to assemble there. The venue for the sit-in protest was announced after the organisers received permission from police for the same on Saturday, January 25. Based on this assurance, messages were sent for the sit-in. However, police withdrew the permission on Sunday, January 26.
Scores of women were not aware of this development and started arriving at the venue, only to find the police occupying the area. Hesitant about still going ahead, women marched to the office of Joint Action Committee (JAC) against CAA, NRC and NPR, demanding to know what they must be doing now.
Women were quite angry and it took quite some time for JAC convenor Mushtaq Malik to quieten them down. Malik said, “The location was changed from Darulshifa ground to Eidgah as suggested by police officers. However, at the last minute, we were told that there no sit-in will be allowed. The angry women came here. We pacified them and again administered them the pledge that no documents will be given for NRC and NPR.” The women who first went to the venue messaged their counterparts when they saw police preventing the gathering. Women were to gather there from 11 a.m. onwards. Due to presence of the police, many women held themselves back.
A woman protestor, on condition of anonymity, said, “Police are detaining protesters, which is very uncomfortable for most. Due to this reason, we refrained from going ahead with the planned protest. There is anger within us against police for not allowing peaceful protests.”
