[Shaheen Bagh] 'Alternate Routes Deliberately Blocked To Cause Inconvenience', Azad Seeks Intervention In Plea Against Protest

Stating that the inconvenience caused by Shaheen Bagh protest is actually due to the unnecessary road blockades imposed by authorities, Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Wednesday filed an application seeking to intervene in the pending case in the Supreme Court for clearing the protest site.

"The allegation of road blockade by the protests is just an excuse...The administration has deliberately blocked various other roads connecting Delhi to Noida and Faridabad on the pretext of Shaheen Bagh demonstrations (which have been completely peaceful), to deliberately create a situation where public is inconvenienced", stated the application.

Former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah and Shaheen Bagh resident Bahadur Abbas Naqvi have also joined the application.

As per the application filed through Advocate Mansoor Ali, the applicants want to bring to the attention of the Court the "collusive acts" of Delhi administration, Ministry of Home Affairs and State of Uttar Pradesh in blocking alternate roads that are far away from Shaheen Bagh to deliberately cause traffic jams for commuters commuting between Delhi, Noida and Faridabad.

The applicants state that the authorities have blocked the Kalindi Kunj-Mithapur road, which runs parallel to G D Birla Marg. The other route from Khadar Kalindi Kunj marg has been blocked near Kalindi Kunj metro station by Delhi police. Therefore, the commuters have been left with no option but to use Delhi Noida direct flyover.

They add that Shaheen Bagh protests have been peaceful, and have become "iconic" enjoying support of nearly 85% of citizens comprising "Muslims, SC, ST, OBC and other citizens who do not subscribe to "Manuvadi" ideology".

It is alleged that the petition against the protests have been filed in "collusion" with the Central Government, which controls the Delhi Police.

""The intention of the Petitioners is to inter alia enable the administration to use the orders of this Hon'ble Court to justify police force and excesses on women who are protesting peacefully in Shaheen Bagh", the application said in that regard.

On Monday, a SC bench comprising Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph had issued notices on the petitions filed by lawyer Amit Sahni and Nand Kishore Garg seeking clearance of Shaheen Bagh protests.

The bench had orally remarked that indefinite protests blocking a road cannot go on, and that they should taken place only in areas designated for protests.

The Court however declined to pass interim directions, and posted the matter on February 17.

Amit Sahni had earlier taken his grievance to the Delhi High Court . But the HC did not pass any positive direction and disposed of the petition directing the police to "consider" the petitioner's grievances 

The petitioners alleged that the protests have led to an "alarming situation" due to  "blockade" of the road between the Kalindi Kunj and Mathura Road region, which connects Delhi-Noida-Faridabad. This has led to traffic being diverted to the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) flyway, which sees lacs of commuters, and needs to be decongested.

The Shaheen Bagh protests, without any visible leader, are held by mostly women, who have been doing a round the clock sit-in against the CAA-NRC for over fifty days.

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