New Delhi: Women following different faiths wore Hijab and took part in a sit-in at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday against what they claimed was "singling out of Muslim women" by police during recent protests against the citizenship law in the national capital.
The demonstration, titled 'Azad women for Azadi', saw the women coming together to express solidarity with the protesters.
Iqra Raza, a Delhi University student, who organised the protest, said, "My cousin was singled out by police during a citizens' march last week. A policeman punched her in the chest. We are protesting against the targeting of Muslim women by the forces. It constitutes a hate crime."
Her cousin, Zikra Mojibi, said she was singled out during a protest by JNU students, and she got panic attack after the police personnel manhandled her and punched her in the chest.
The protesters were holding banners with messages like 'We want rights, not riots', 'Crying culture claims new democracy' while slogans against 'Islamophobia' and 'Inquilab Zindabad' rent the air.
Ifat Khan, a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University, said, "Women are not only participating in the protests but also leading them. We are no longer scared." Khan said the same government which brought Triple Talaq and said it was for the empowerment of Muslim women is using police to target them.
"Muslim and Kashmiri Muslim students were even targeted in JNU when goons entered Sabarmati Hostel on January 5. I would urge you to not make it a fight between Muslims and government but a fight between the citizens and government," she said.
Khan said the mess workers of Sabarmati Hostel saved her since she hid there along with other students when masked persons went on a rampage on the campus.
Ishita Mandal, a student from Delhi University, wore hijab to express her solidarity and condemn what "they go through on a daily basis".
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI)