NEW DELHI: The Indian national flag was unfurled by the protestors at Shaheen Bagh in the national capital on the occasion of 71st Republic Day here on Sunday.
The national flag was hoisted at the protest venue by the mother of Rohith Vemula, a deceased student of the University of Hyderabad. Vemula’s pictures have recently surfaced as the face of anti-CAA protest is an indication of attempts to forge Muslim-Dalit unity on the issue.
Rohith’s mother was accompanied by the famous “dadis” of Shaheen bagh and former JNU student Umar Khalid.
In the wee hours of Sunday, protestors demonstrating against the amended citizenship law sung the national anthem and read the preamble of the Constitution.
The preparations for the celebrations had begun at least two days earlier, with volunteers sharing messages inviting people to reach the protest site and aim for a headcount of at least ten lakh people, and in the process to create a sort of world record.
The national anthem recital was followed by sloganeering of “Bharat Mata ki jai”, “inquilab zindabad” and “NRC-CAA Murdabad”.
Meanwhile, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court last week seeking appropriate directions to the police to open Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch, which has been closed since December 15 due to ongoing protests against the CAA.
Protests have been going on at Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi since December 15 with women, and children, have been camping against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and proposed the National Register of Citizens (NRC).