Hegde, Ramachandran assure Shaheen Bagh protestors to take up their demand of 'safety' to SC

By Pragya Kaushika
New Delhi [India], Feb 21 (ANI): Supreme Court-appointed interlocutors lawyers, Santosh Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran on Friday assured Shaheen Bagh protestors to take up their demand of 'ensuring safety to them' to the top court.
There are chances if the apex court gives nod to the demand of protestors, they may clear one side of the Shaheen Bagh road. However, most of the protestors remained stiff on the request of shifting their protest to other location stating that their agitation might lose its essence and gradually get vanished.
After hearing the agitators, the interlocutors said, "The demand of protestors to ensure their safety in writing duly ordered by the Supreme Court and directions to Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Police to ensure no harm comes to the protestors will be communicated to the top court."
Meanwhile, Ramachandran said that while she toured the adjoining roads, she found that Noida to Faridabad road was blocked unnecessarily.

"First, they opened the road and we later found that it was closed again. We will communicate to the Supreme Court. Those who closed it again will have to answer the court. We feel pained at this act," she said.

Both interlocutors tried to get clarity on who closed the other side of the road. It was found that the police had first closed it, and then the protestors kept it closed for 'security' reasons.

Ramachandran called the Delhi Police officer and got the commitment that if one side of the road is opened, the security of those sitting on protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) will not be compromised.

While speaking to protestors, the representative of Delhi Police said, "I made a request a month back to get the other side of the road opened. We will facilitate it. We will give security to those sitting here. If one side of the road is opened, we will give you security. We will barricade and have deployment."
Hegde further urged the protestors to "feel the pain of others".

The interlocutors said that they have understood the protestors' issue.
Ramachandran appealed to the protestors that those women sitting on protest should "think independently and not get influenced".
She asked them to "not just only open the road but also a way to heart".
Meanwhile, women protestors kept taking up the issue of Jamia and alleged police brutality and demand to repeal CAA and promise to not implement NRC.
The Friday visit of the interlocutors was their third in the last three days.
The Supreme Court had on Monday had appointed senior lawyers Hegde and Ramachandran to go and talk to protesters at Shaheen Bagh area to convince them to hold the agitation at an alternative site.
The apex court has fixed the matter for further hearing on February 24.
The Shaheen Bagh area of Delhi had lately gained nationwide attention due to a continued anti-CAA sit-in by people, especially Muslim women against the CAA, NPR and NRC. (ANI)