On March 15, the first Friday of the holy month of Ramzan, reports emerged alleging that the Uttar Pradesh police had placed some anti-CAA women protestors under house arrest. These women had been prominent figures in leading protests against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act between 2019 and 2020.
According to a report by The Wire, police visited the homes of selected women protestors and restricted their movement, effectively confining them indoors. These women had been vocal opponents of the CAA since its passage by the BJP-led government in the Indian Parliament in 2019.
The incident occurred on March 11, just days before the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections schedule, when the Union Home Ministry declared its intention to begin implementing the CAA.
The CAA seeks to provide Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014. However, the decision to implement the law was met with strong criticism from Opposition parties and citizens who viewed it as discriminatory and contrary to the principles of the Indian Constitution.
One of the protestors, Eram Fatima, described feeling humiliated by the police presence outside her apartment and reported that officers were questioning every visitor.
“Police have been deployed outside my apartment, and policemen are interrogating every guest visiting the apartment. This is humiliating for me and irritating for my neighbours too,” The Wire quoted Eram Fatima, who protested against the CAA back in 2020.
Another protestor, Sumaiya Rana, accused the government of silencing democratic voices and preventing her from meeting her relatives.
“The government put us under arrest to clamp down on democratic voices. Earlier, police used to sit in parking at my apartment, but this time they entered my flat, sat inside my home and did not allow me to go meet my widow’s mother, who is residing in the other locality,” she said.
Both women reiterated their opposition to the CAA, labelling it discriminatory and incompatible with democratic values. They vowed to continue speaking out against the law despite the government’s attempts to silence dissent.
However, the Uttar Pradesh police, represented by Deputy Commissioner Raveena Tyagi, denied the allegations of house arrest. Tyagi stated that heavy police deployment was a precautionary measure to prevent potential protests against the CAA, particularly on the first Friday of Ramzan. She said that the police presence was intended to maintain law and order and prevent any outbreak of violence.
