August Kranti Maidan protest against citizenship law: ‘People think Mumbai is apolitical, but this has brought us out’

The kilometre stretch leading to August Kranti Maidan, Mumbai, was dotted with Communist Party of India and Nationalist Congress Party banners. Thousands made their way through this prominent, yet conspicuously cleared out, thoroughfare in Mumbai’s Grant Road to storm the historic hotbed of political activism in Mumbai, where the Quit India Movement was flagged off nearly 80 years ago. 

Protesters were calling for the powers that be — the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party-led government — to “quit India” for the formulation and passing of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act, coupled with the possible nation-wide implementation of the National Register of Citizens.

 The protest, held between 4 pm and 7 pm on December 19, was attended by over 100 community organisations from Mumbai and Thane district and representatives from political parties like the Congress, Samajwadi Party, NCP, CPI, and the CPI(M). 

Varsha Vidya Vilas, co-convener at Sadbhavna Sangh and one of the key organisers of the protest, said: “Articles 13, 14 and 15 of the constitution state the religion cannot be grounds for determining citizenship. On this date, in the year 1927, Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan and Thakur Roshan Singh were hanged and martyred side by side. Peaceful protests that have started at August Kranti Maidan have always been roaringly successful. This is certainly not the end of the road for the movement and in its next stages, we intend to take the protests across Maharashtra.” 

The crowd called for the repeal of “discriminatory and unconstitutional” legislation and stood in solidarity with the students of several national universities who faced police excesses in spite of holding peaceful protests. While students and youths have formed the face of the movement in India so far, older citizens constituted an equally sizeable proportion of the crowd in Mumbai.

 “We have been gathering and singing songs of resistance and rebellion on campus for eight days, protesting in several other inventive ways,” said Aisha Abdul Kader, general secretary of the student council at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and another figure central to the organisation of the mega-protest. “The students across the country coming out on the streets to protest became our inspiration to raise our voices more publicly too. And when stories from Jamia Millia Islamia University and Aligarh Muslim University began to surface, we were especially angry and charged.” 

She added: “This is not about the Hindu-Muslim fight; the CAA and the NRC go against the Constitution of India. People feel Maharashtra and Mumbai are apolitical, but this has brought everyone out on to the streets. We cannot let Modi-Shah’s dream of a Hindu rashtra materialise.” 

 IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan addressed the crowd. “When an educated person speaks out against the government, they are tagged as an ‘urban Naxal’,” he said. “If a poor person does so, they are declared a Maoist. When a Muslim person dissents, they are called ‘jihadis’.” His speech drew loud cheers from the crowd. 

Several dozen vans of police personnel and riot police circled the venue, but the protests were peaceful. No misdemeanours were reported. The crowd beelined into the venue through makeshift security scanners, efficiently managed by the Mumbai police, who later distributed water and chocolates to the protesters. 

Husena Painter, an advertising professional attending the protest, told Newslaundry: “I fainted at the ground out of dehydration, but the police were the first ones to step in, help me regain my consciousness and ensure that I was back up on my feet again. There were also hordes of Muslim men handing out water to the protesters, which is a very normal practice amongst Muslims, but also extremely beautiful to witness in these bleak, polarising times.”

The area in and around August Kranti Maidan was under CCTV surveillance and monitored by drone cameras to keep potential miscreants in check. In preparation for the protest, restrictions were imposed on traffic movement in the areas around the maidan, like Nana Chowk, Sisil Junction, Kemps Corner, Kennedy Bridge, and Tardeo.

While most mainstream Bollywood stars have kept quiet on the Citizenship Amend Act, some turned up for the protest. This included Rang De Basanti director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who said he had wrapped up the shoot of his upcoming film Toofan before time so the entire crew, including Farhan Akhtar, could attend the protest. 

“The CAA is not inclusive,” Mehra said. “When such a crucial legislation is being passed, social welfare should be at the heart of it, and this must take into account the welfare of every citizen, barring none. Protesting is important: how will democracy work if one doesn’t speak up? We live in a free country where we still have a voice, but people don’t understand the power of their voice yet.” 

Other prominent celebrities like Swara Bhaskar and Sushant Singh took to the stage to address the gathering, estimated to be about 20,000-strong, while well-known figures like Mini Mathur and Maria Goretti were also in attendance. 

Elsewhere in Maharashtra, several state and central universities held protests, like Pune University, FTII Pune, Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya in Wardha, and others. Cities and towns like Thane, Palghar, Nashik, Aurangabad, and Beed also hosted rallies to participate in the country-wide uprising.