In yet another anti-CAA demonstration backed by the Congress party, women in Delhi’s Seelampur have been sitting on a protest march since the past eight days in opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act, NRC and NPR.
According to the reports, the law enforcement agency officials decamped the women from the place at least thrice but most of them have returned back to continue their protest, claiming they are doing so under the aegis of the Congress candidate Chaudhary Mateen Ahmed.
At seelampur, there is a women sit-in protest going on for past eight days. Fiery speeches. These women have been evacuated at least thrice by police, but most of them say Congress candidate Chaudhary Mateen Ahmed is firmly backing them. pic.twitter.com/L18vQqK5aH
— Vasudha Venugopal (@vasudha_ET) January 25, 2020
Seelampur is a Muslim-dominated area with more than 50 per cent of residents Muslims. Former Congress MLA Mateen Ahmed has centred his upcoming assembly election strategy around the opposition to the CAA-NRC and has extended his support to the protesters who are carrying out a sit-in at in the Seelampur locality.
Earlier on January 12, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor too had expressed his support for the anti-CAA stir happening across the National Capital. He visited Jamia, Shaheen Bagh and expressed his solidarity with the demonstrators while resorting to fear-mongering by claiming that CAA is discriminatory against the Indian Muslims.
With Congress candidate allegedly supporting and promoting Shaheen Bagh-like protest in a sensitive area like Seelampur, it is proven beyond doubt that Congress is aiming to encash electoral gains in the upcoming Delhi elections by raising the bogey of CAA-NRC and engendering unwarranted fear among the Muslim residents.
It is also noteworthy to mention that Congress leader Mateen Ahmed was earlier named in the FIR filed in relations to riots in Seelampur during anti-CAA protests. Seelampur had been on tenterhooks following the widespread violence in the aftermath of the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act last month. On December 17, 2019, coordinated anti-CAA riots ensued after the mosque in the neighbourhood summoned Muslims to gather for the protest against the CAA.
According to police, Mateen was among the two leaders provoked the crowd to join the protest. The police FIR had said that an uncontrolled crowd had joined the unauthorised protests on the provocation of the Congress leader. A bike rally led by Mateen Ahmed had joined the protesters who had indulged in riots, according to police. He had continued to led the rally despite police asking him not to do so, as it was feared that the protests may turn violent.
Muslim mobs carried out violent riots in Seelampur area of Delhi during their protests against the Citizenship Act. The violent protestors had even attacked school buses in Delhi’s Seelampur area. The rioters were also seen beating up policemen.
Later, the police had to resort to tear gas after the so-called ‘peaceful protestors’ pelted stones at them, injuring police officials including Additional DCP RP Meena. A Police post was also set on fire by the mob along with police and private motorcycles. The mob reportedly taunted the policemen to run after them following which they pelted stones at them.
