Ita Mehrotra’s book portrays the Shaheen Bagh protest for the multitude of things it was https://caravanmagazine.in/politics/ita-mehrotras-book-portrays-the-shaheen-bagh-protest-for-the-multitude-of-things-it-was Umar Khalid 13 September 2021 At the time of publishing this piece, it had been one year since Umar Khalid’s incarceration under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, on 13 September 2020. Khalid was accused in connection to an alleged conspiracy behind the communal violence in Delhi, in February 2020.
But in the days following the passing of the CAA, the visuals of police brutality against students of Jamia Milia Islamia university demonstrated that we could no longer take the safety of “our” areas for granted. Was the state cracking down with such intensity, and with weapons such as stun grenades and tear gas, inside the university library, because it was dealing with largely Muslim protesters of a minority institution located in an area largely inhabited by Muslims? Or was this just a glimpse of “New India,” of which it is said, “ghar mein ghuske maarta hai!”—enter your home to kill you.
A spread from Ita Mehrotra’s book Shaheen Bagh: A Graphic Recollection, which traces the history and symbolism of the protest at Shaheen Bagh. ILLUSTRATIONS BY ITA MEHROTA/COURTESY YODA PRESS
