Ranchi

Anti CAA-NRC Protests in Ranchi

Ranchi is the capital city of the state of Jharkhand in eastern India. From mid-January of 2020, the city saw an enduring protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Registry of Citizens (NRC), emulating the sit-in protest site of Shaheen Bagh in Delhi.

In our interviews with the organizers of the protest we were made aware of the strategic logic behind selecting the Haj House area as the site of protest in Ranchi. It was seen to be a safe space for a large gathering of Muslim women, from the perspective of both security and respectability. The Haj House provided access to their washrooms and drinking water outlets, but the actual sit-in took place outside its premises. A small work station was set up just inside the boundary wall, where a young woman was deployed to monitor all the CCTV footage.

The protest site was gender segregated. At one end was a small ‘office’ that was run by the ‘organizers’ who were men. One of the interviewees described various functions that the ‘office’ served. Folks who wanted to make a speech on stage had to submit a written summary or list of themes they wanted to cover. Folks who were donating food or sponsoring meals had to run the menu and contents by the office staff to make sure nothing contraband or dangerous was coming through. Next to the office was a small seating area for male participants.

Closer to the main entrance of the Haj House was the larger seating area for women. The entry way was kept clear for vehicles. To the left of the main gate were two important spots – a space for painting classes for children and a makeshift library. Interviewees reported that the library exclusively carried historical and political literature.

To the right of the entrance was the main stage and a large billboard with the preamble on it. “Our rule was that when you come to the protest site, you have to first read the preamble.” Just in front of the stage is a tree under which the mehendi artists sat, applying mehendi to those interested and offering lessons to those who wanted to learn. The rest of the space up to the end of the boundary wall of the building was the seating area for women, also used as sleeping area in the night. One of the interviewees reported a tea stall that distributed free tea at night during the harsh winter months. The occupying women also brought in coal-based heaters from home to keep warm. The shops across the streets provided assistance in terms of everyday provisions.

– Srilata Sircar