Delhi Riots: Women lead the resistance against unjust laws in India...

Journalism plays a vital role in upholding a constitutional democracy and informing the truth to the public. As a young journalist living in India, I am saddened by the dark and dangerous road some sections of the Indian media have begun to take. But I am also hopeful and inspired by the presence of journalists who are fighting to shed light on the truth despite threats to their lives. As long as freedom of press prevails and people in power are questioned, India’s democracy will survive.

What is happening in India right now?
A non-violent people’s movement, has been steadily gaining momentum all over India and in many parts of the world over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) which would provide citizenship to all non-Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who came to India before 2015. Similarly, the proposed National Registry of Citizens (NRC) requires Indians to provide documentary evidence of residence and Indian ancestry. These laws are discriminatory against Muslims who are a religious minority in India, as well as other marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ community. The Implications of CAA-NRC and Impact of CAA-NRC on marginalised communities are two reports which highlight the legal, social and political impacts of these laws well.

What is the role of women in this movement?
This movement is producing many women leaders who are voicing dissent on the streets. Protests against the CAA and NRC are dominated by large numbers of women from all age groups and religions - who are at the forefront of resistance, holding up placards, holding sit-ins for months, speaking up and peacefully protesting against violent mobs and police forces. In spite of the inherent patriarchy in the Indian society, women coming out onto the streets, raising their voices in solidarity against discriminatory laws is a powerful act of defiance.

These women are students, housewives, writers, historians, activists, mothers protesting whilst holding their babies and elderly women sitting in protests in the biting cold of the Shaheen Bagh area of Delhi for months on end - demanding the government to withdraw their controversial and unjust laws. Women are also raising their voices through social media, art, literature and poetry, as well as inside India’s Parliament. Political leaders like Mahua Moitra, Journalists Rana Ayyub, Faye D’Souza, Social Activist Aruna Roy, are some of the powerful female voices amplifying this movement.

Why is resistance against CAA and NRC so urgent and crucial?
Ruling party BJP leaders led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been spewing hate speech, inciting communal violence and punishing dissenters. These actions foster a climate of mounting fear and hate in India. During American President Donald Trump’s State visit to India, more than 40 people lost their lives in communal riots which happened at the National Capital Delhi.

Peaceful marches have been happening all over the country for months where protestors read out the preamble of the Indian Constitution which says, “We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign, Secular, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic” reminding everyone about the principles on which the Republic of India was founded upon. The persecution of minorities and incidents of hatred and violence in India is escalating and global leaders turn a blind eye. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has filed an intervention application in the Supreme Court of India against CAA but the Indian Government has said that no foreign party has ‘locus standi’ on issues pertaining to India’s sovereignty.

WiFP encourages readers to stand in solidarity with people affected by violence in India by raising awareness of the issue online and in your communities, and writing to your local political representatives to encourage national and international action on the current escalating violence.

Krithiga Narayanan is Deputy Editor at WIFP and journalist.