Shaheen-model Barkas stir foiled

Hyderabad: Police has foiled an attempt by women in Wajudinagar, Barkas, to recreate the Shaheen Bagh protest, and asked them to vacate by 10.30 p.m. The police have continually stalled all efforts, and the police commissioner declared he would not allow any Shaheen Bagh type protest.

Heavy security was deployed at the site as the numbers of protesters began increasing. Police did not allow meals to be served to people on dharna. The organisers clai-med that senior officers pressurised the dargah mutawalli to evict the protestors. As a result, the mutawalli members anno-unced the protesters lac-ked permission to use the dargah ground. Over 600 people, half of them wom-en, had to end their pro-test (with the National Anthem). Earlier, a group of women tried to sit-in at Mehdipatnam, Toli Cho-wki and Moghalpura, but they could not continue due to police pressure. Some women found cases registered against them.

Ms Khalida Parveen, general secretary of the Amoomath Society, who is actively participating, said the women of Hyderabad also want to play a key role in protests against CAA, NPR and NRC.

She pointed out it was unprecedented for Mus-lim women in Hyderabad to step out of their homes to participate. Her group has constituted activists to conduct basti sabhas, particularly in slums, to educate illiterate women.

“We are alerting them about the dos and don’ts in case enumerators kno-ck come,” she said. A conference of women representing Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities held a meeting at the Press Club in Basheer Bagh, asking the public to boycott the NPR.