Foreword

I came to Shaheen Bag after receiving a call. Only for three days. We have been to Park Circus in

Kolkata; attended gatherings in Kacchi Sadak in Metiaburj, in Mithatalao; been to the meeting

in front of Fort Gloster Jute Mill in Bauria, Howrah. There is no flag of any political party, no

religious jhanda, no praise of any political party or leader in the slogans raised. Common people

have kept the national flag and the constitution close to their heart. We haven’t heard the

dictates of any single leader. However, leaders of parties opposing the ruling party in Delhi have

made statements throughout the country, have also taken some steps. But the nation is rising

in a different beat, parallel to the prevalent party-politics.

When Article 370 was abolished in Kashmir on August 5 last year, the country kept quiet more

or less. Then on August 31, the NRC list was published in Assam. The fear of losing citizenship, a

terror, was spreading in people’s mind. The Citizenship Amendment Bill came on December 11.

There was a movement towards alliance in different corners of the country, overcoming the

fear and the dread. State machinery failed to shut it down.

Shaheen Bag sent a call: Either come to Shaheen Bag, or build a Shaheen Bag in your own

mohalla. There was no Shaheen Bag in my area. I came to Shaheen Bag. I have seen hundreds

of posters being written in Shaheen Bag and in front of Jamia Milia Islamia. Paintings, murals,

graffiti, cartoons are coming up on the street and on walls. On the day Akhil Gogoi was jailed in

Assam, his graffiti was drawn on the street. Those on Rohit Vemula, Aishee Ghosh followed….

The streets, bylanes and walls of Shaheen Bag and Jamia remained witness to the cruelty and

foolishness of the state every day!

What surprised me most was total absence of personal anger against any individual leader in all

such action in Shaheen Bag. No word is uttered or written against any party, even against the

ruling BJP. Yet, Shaheen Bag is challenging the might of the state and its oppression. It is like a

face-off between ferocious state and the salt of the earth; a direct fight between state

machinery with civil society. A modern satyagraha!

There has been no dearth of effort to label Shaheen Bag as “Islamic”; no want of scandals

floated to link it to opposition parties. But Shaheen Bag did not want the support of party

politics. Yet, it did not refuse members of civil society, elite well-wishers or political or religious

leaders. Nut it did not want to grow under the cover of any ideology – be it religious or political.

Muslim women are pillars of strength of this continuous gathering. Its face is a newly self-

conscious mass of youth and students. Sikh citizens of Punjab and Delhi have volunteered to

protect this gathering.

Before returning to Kolkata, I asked a youngster, how this gathering manages to exist in so cool-

headed fashion in face of such opposition, enticement, such planned violence every day? He

replied: salahiyaat. It’s as if the word just came out of his mouth. I asked him the meaning of

the word. He said, when a kid grows up, it acquires salahiyaat – a kind of wisdom, some good

qualities, softness and interaction with others.

I am trying to under this unique gathering still.

February 14, 2020 Jiten Nandi.

Hindustan ek baag hai. Hum Shaheen hai is baag ke.

I reached Shaheen Bag at 1:30 in the afternoon. In the tent there are mostly women, some with

babies. There are many scattered outside the tent. Women are on the left facing the dais, men

are on the other side. Right now, there are many from Punjab. Farmers have come from Mansa

district. They are holding the national flag high. Today is the forty ninth day of the gathering.

Day time is for preparations, for organizing the whole thing.

A woman was tidying a long banner. On it was written something. I asked her what “shaheen”

means.

“Shaheen is that bird which flies the highest in the sky”.

Hindustan is a garden, and we are the shaheen of that garden! Shaheen flies the highest in the

air. From above, it sees the status of the entire garden. How the beautiful garden is being

destroyed, our dearest Hindustan, India. That is why the revolutionary oath of Shaheen Baag is

That which was promised for a very long time

We shall see

That which is etched on iron

We shall see

We must also see it

We shall see

On the dais, people who have come from different parts of the country are speaking. Some are

reciting poems, shayari. Those who wish to speak on the dais must go backstage to enter their

names. They are asked about what they would like to say. If they have written documents to

read out, these are being examined. These are also edited slightly – in other words, it is being

requested that one does not say anything that does not agree with the spirit of the movement.

People are being requested not to take video clips. There is a media centre back of the stage.

Those coming from any news media must enter their names there. They are issued slips.

Actually, the movement is facing sabotage all the time. In the entrance area, volunteers are

carrying out security check on those who wish to enter. Women volunteers are doing the same

on women who wish to enter, in a closed space. Still, those against the movement are entering

the area and do all kind of nuisance. Even burkha-clad women are entering and trying to

degrade the movement. The nastiest role has been played by Republic TV in this regard.

An elderly person has come from Sandaha village near Varanasi. He has brought a handwritten

foolscap size paper. In one sentence “gaddar” (betrayer) was written. A woman volunteer

wanted it changed. It was erased and “dhokha” (betrayal) was written in its stead. I made his

acquaintance and found out he was an RSS worker. Yet, he feels Mohan Bhagvat has been

“misled”. In his paper written in Hindi, it is written “Om Ganeshaya Namah” at the top and his

mobile number at the bottom. He wants Modiji to return Kashmiri Pundits to Kashmir, and

arrange for Tibetan refugees to return to Tibet.

How the gathering at Shaheen Bag came to be

As narrated by Mansoor, a student of Jamia Milia Islamia:

When CAA was announced on 11 December, I was at home in Saharanpur. On Friday, 13th

December, there was a small skirmish with the police in Jamia. During the namaz of Jumma it

became quite crowded in the Jama Masjid in Jamia. There were students of Jamia, some anti-

CAA slogans were raised there. But from that very afternoon, a huge police force was seen

there. Exams were going on in Jamia at that time.

15th was Sunday. I was returning to Delhi from home. A bus was burnt. Who was responsible? I

came to know from a journalist: ”It was the police themselves. Had it been the students, it

would have been scattered. But five buses were torched one after another. The policemen who

were there did not have the name tags which are usually seen…” Some people were going

towards Mata Mandir and Mathura Nagar. Some students had gathered on the road in protest.

They were lathi-charged. Around 12 to one in the afternoon, police lathi-charged and beat up

some young people in Julena and Defence Colony. They returned to campus. By late afternoon,

the news had spread. I went to Jamia at around 4:30 pm. The road was filled with smoke. Police

were lobbing grenades and tear gas shells. Students were throwing stones. But the police also

brought stones with them. Police started throwing stones inside Jamia. These incidents were

photographed on mobiles. It is heard that police had gathered lots of stones atop Dariagunj

Police Station. Local people who came to buy things found all shops had downed shutters.

Police started clearing the road in this fashion and moved up to Jamia Metro Station. Around 7

o’ clock I entered Jamia through gate no 7. Police broke open locks on gate no 8, entered the

premises and started lathi-charge. They entered the library and started assaulting students.

They even went up to the toilets. Some students were beaten up and brought out of the library

thus. I could hear loud cries and noise of lathis.

Police told the media later that they had arrested 59 students from the library. The actual

number was 89. They were taken to two police stations, in New Defence Colony and in Kalkaji.

Those students who remained behind on campus were later taken out through the gate behind

International Hostel. People were scared. It was rumoured that police would be searching the

hostels. The same night, students from JNU, Delhi University and many ordinary citizens went

to ITO, the Police HQ, near Pragati Maidan. They came from around 11 at night till morning.

Their demand was that students arrested from Jamia must be released immediately. Even

political leaders like Brnda Karat and Chandrasekhar Azad came there. The Police Commissioner

announced that the students cannot be released till morning. But the crowd did not want that

the students be released after they are charged in court. Because the students were completely

innocent. Finally, the police backed out before several hundred odd people. Police

Commissioner came before the crowd at 3:30 and said the students would be released at 4 am.

If the students from JNU, DU and others did not come to ITO in such large numbers, maybe the

students of Jamia would not feel so inspired. This was reflected on the road in front of Jamia

the next day.

As narrated by Nairita, a student of Jamia Milia Islamia:

Central Govt and Delhi Police wanted the movement to turn violent. They were hitting us and

expected that we hit back. They wanted to make another “Kashmir” out of Shaheen Bag. They

wanted Jamia students to pick up stones like the kids and young people of Kashmir. That is why

the police brought stones with them. When the students chanted “Azadi” the police said

“These students are claiming azadi for Kashmir!” They even said that the students chanted

“Pakistan zindabad, Hindustan murdabad”, “Humein Jinnawali azadi chahiye”. Such slogans

were not raised for a single day. To counter such provocations, the movement had to adopt the

path of “ahimsa” as shown by Gandhi.

The gathering in Jamia started from 16 December, 2019

As narrated by Mansoor, a student of Jamia MIlia Islamia:

I went to Jamia on the morning of 16 December. Scattered protests, gatherings began in many

places. Media persons also came. More and more people started coming. Local people, men

and women, joined this protest of Jamia students. At first, the movement was only up to 7:30 in

the evening. Of course, students stayed back a couple of hours more to clean up the place.

Again the next morning, by 7 or 8, students came there. Both sides of the one way street was

blocked. About a week later, “Jamia Coordination Committee” was formed. The Alumni

Association of Jamia Milia Islamia played an important role in forming this committee. Those

students who returned after the holidays, found the Committee controlling the movement.

There was some resentment among general students. But the committee has some student

leaders, with active participation of local lawyers and educated people. New workers are

joining it, and their number is increasing.

The gathering in Shaheen Bag started on 18 December

As narrated by Nairita, a student of Jamia Milia Islamia:

In Shaheen Bag, some people started sitting on the road side. More and more people came. The

protest in Jamia attracted residents of Shaheen Bag. In two to three days, the gathering had

swollen to cover part of the road. At first, there was a small tent. In three weeks, the crowd was

such that the size of the tent had to be doubled. Mothers had come there from day one. Police

had broken arms and legs of some students who live in Shaheen Bag. They came and told their

mothers, “Mother, today they beat us up in the university. Tomorrow they will come to beat us

at home. What shall we do?” Mothers replied, “Let’s go sit on the road in protest.” Those

mothers came and sat on the road. Gradually, neighbours joined these mothers. The night

temperatures dropped down to 1-2 degrees, it was bitter cold! In Shaheen Bag, mothers had

stayed overnight from day one itself. In Jamia, the gathering lasted till evening before that. In

Shaheen Bag, it was continuous from the very first day. There was a sense of fear in Jamia.

There was movement of people during day time. But at night, there was nobody. There was

apprehension that Delhi Police may come and raid the place then. But Shaheen Bag was

without fear from the beginning. Later, in Jamia also, day-night vigil started about 10 days ago.

Shaheen Bag: State violence vs creativity of the people

Shaheen Bag gathering is colourful everyday. So many sketches, paintings are drawn. So many

posters are being written, with such variety and so much to learn from them. A little distance

from the main gathering is a footbridge. I climbed the steps and saw a young man making a

poster. Another person is drawing a portrait of Bhagat Singh, a book on the latter lying next to

him. A quotation from the book would be included in the poster. Another one drew a fast

sketch on a big piece of art paper. (This one by Nilanjana is given in page…)

On one side of the road, a library tent has come up. It is called Fatima Shaikh – Sabitribai Phule

Library. Lots of books from different countries, biographies, booklets on NRC-CAA-NPR,

newspapers are displayed there. It was good to see a youngster reading a book there, some

elderly persons are also reading with close attention. The other day, someone was speaking

with a hand mike in front of the library. A small crowd had gathered. He was speaking, replying

to complaints raised on media. For example, everybody is fed biriyani here! Also, funding of

Shaheenbag, its organization, politics – all such issues were discussed openly. Many such small

gatherings are forming spontaneously. There issues are being discussed face to face.

On the main stage, young people from a well-known band in Delhi came and sang. During a

break, Sandeep Pandey came and talked. Towards night, some senior advocates were supposed

to come, to talk about legal issues. For example, on NRC, CAA, NPR. The famous Sufi singer (?)

Shubha Mudgal had come from Mumbai. The crowd was increasing even after 8 pm. Shubha

Mudgal sang a lyric written by the poet Gopaldas “Niraj”:

Let such a religion arise

That makes humans out of human beings

Whose fragrance reaches neighbours rooms

Bloom as roses near and far.

Fire flows in the Ganga, even in Jhelum

Let some say, where can I go to bathe

Let the call arise

Why love is bathed in blood

To come from darkness to light

Let my suffering so affect you that

If I remain hungry

You would not be able to eat

Even if two bodies are apart

Let the heart be such that

My tears rise in your eyes.

Song is apathetic, gazal is silent, rubai is sad

Let ululations for the poet Niraj rise in such ambience

I was surprised to see women in the gathering clapping along with the song.

Read for revolution

It is written here: On 15 December 2019, Zakir Hussain library of Jamia Milia Islamia was

ransacked by police controlled by the central govt. However, this will not reduce interest of

students in reading. To maintain our ongoing protest and our enthusiasm alive, we are inviting

all teachers, scholars, young people, interested readers and all Indian citizens to our daily

reading sessions. We invite you to join us in raising our peaceful voice against Indian govt.

which is afraid of learning. We invite you to come with your books and join us in reading them.

Our library is open to all.

Shaheen Bag: On the path t Satyagraha and Ahimsa

In Shaheen Bag one night, Fatima Shaikh, a student of Jamia was speaking below the awning in

front of Sabitribai Phule libray: “When this nation of ours was not created, some people

believed that we can take a violent road to win freedom. But the state is so powerful now that

you won’t be able to do anything the violent way. You have to have a cultural program, have to

raise the movement in international platforms….. Violence is natural. I get angry, when I cannot

control anything happening before me. I don’t have a job, there’s no food at home, I get angry.

I can easily pour that anger on another person violently. The communal process of Hindu-

Muslim divison starts from here. Hindus are made to understand that you don’t get jobs

because of Muslims. Muslims are made convinced that Hindus are the cause of your suffering.

… As it happened in Rajasthan, one person was told your job is gone because of Muslims. He

killed one Muslim individual. …”

Is it true that the active young people and students in Shaheen Bag and Jamia have developed

so much patience, self confidence and self control? I noticed some facts during an event one

day. Jamia Coordination Committee had given a call of a long march at 12 noon on 30 January,

the date of Gandhi’s assassination. As preparation, printed posters were stuck on a large area

between Jamia and Shaheen Bag. From those who were present, I came to know that about ten

thousand people had gathered that day. When the long march reached Moulana Md Alo

Jawhar Marg, one young man of the Sangh had come with a gun before the police and fired.

Shadab Farukh, a student of Jamia was injured in that firing.

That day, when the police stopped the march on the excuse of law and order, the organizers of

Jamia Coordination Committee did not go into any confrontation and decided to withdraw the

march. But it would not been quite natural go on a revenge path with a strength of thousands

that day. Yet the organizers of that march and the young people and students displayed rare

self control at that moment.

The truth has been captured in several cameras. But Republic TV made a travesty of truth to

report that the incident happened because the protesters had suddenly turned violent, and

even that the gun-wielder was one of the protesters. Later, the organizers complained of libel

against Republic TV and Arnab Goswami and issued legal notice against them.

A student of history in Jamia told me: When the non-cooperation movement was going on in

the leadership of Gandhi, he wanted a university, different from an elite institution like Aligarh

Muslim University, where muslim sharecroppers can come to study. It was felt necessary to

build the university near where farmers and workers work for a living. Gandhi has placed this

model of education in Wardha. Jamia Milia Islamia was established in 1920. The young people

and students of the movement are remembering Gandhi along with the founders of Jamia such

as Mowlana Md Ali Jowhar, Hakim Azmal Khan, Mahmud Al-Hasan, Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari,

Abdul Majid Khwaja. Where exactly the movement is linked with education is being

investigated in gatherings in Shaheen Bag and Jamia. That is why the main rostrum in Shaheen

Bag contains portraits of Ambedkar, Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu, Shaheed Ramprasad Bismil, Zakir

Hussain, Mowlana Abul Kalam Azad, Shaheed Asfakulla Khan, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose,

Begum Rokeya.

Gandhi is there next to the gathering at Jamia. A short distance away hangs a portrait of Sadat

Hasan Manto, a sketch by Sirajuddaula.

Shaheen Bag could not be stopped by State violence, but….

Western UP is not very far from Shaheen Bag. Protests against NRC, CAA, NPR were sought to

be stifled at the beginning by beatings, gun and arrest by UP govt. Im Meerat alone, 8 persons

were killed. Apart from this, a list has been prepared of all the protesters who were killed in

Assam, Mangalore, Lucknow, Kanpur, Bijnor, Sambhal, Ferozabad, Rampur. Shaheen Bag is

remembering all those who sacrificed their lives in protest.

Protesters are flocking to Shaheen Bag from Western UP because they cannot take the torture

any more. People are coming from Saharanpur, Meerat. They are coming from even further

away. At times, the gathering at Shaheen Bag is like a tide of people. Sikhs are holding their

langars throughout. Shaheen Bag is becoming a unique example of service and love.

A woman was distributing water pouches among women sitting together. I asked her, are you

distributing water from some organization? She said, no, there is no other organization, no

NGO working here. We all bring what we can, what we are capable of. I come from Abul Fazal,

everyday. Today, I brought some water pouches.

My little experience is limited to three days only. Before I returned, I saw a temporary langar

opened near the gathering at Jamia. Hussaini langar. Local people of Shia faith opened it. I saw

some four hundred Sikh farmers having lunch, with hundreds of other people. They had started

from Muga and Bhatinda in Punjab in a few buses to reach Shaheen Bag. Delhi Police had

stopped them at three places on the way. At night, they were sent to a Gurdwara instead of

Shaheen Bag. They were very angry in the morning. Finally, they reached Shaheen Bag. The

Central Govt. and Delhi Police had tried to scatter the gathering at Shaheen Bag since the very

beginning. I have seen women workers from Gunja Foundation, an NGO from Shram Vihar,

serving tea to all everyday. At the langar, or in te stall, or at the gathering, some people are

giving money, may be 50 rupees, or hundred, or even five thousand. The organizers are

accepting it gladly.

Koura hails from Moga district in Punjab. He is a farmer. These aremers are coming by droves

from Punjab. At night, they are making their own tents, and covering themselves in blankets, lie

down. They have voluntarily taken over the duty to protect the women’s gathering in Shaheen

Bag.

Published on 15 February

Publisher Manthan Samayiki

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Author Jiten Nandi

Cover Received from “Tanzila” in social media

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