COVID-19: Shaheen Bagh protesters continue agitation in small groups

At Shaheen Bagh, the number of protestors who have been on a sit-in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has reduced significantly on Monday amid lockdown announced in view of coronavirus till March 31 and the 'Janata Curfew' that was observed a day earlier.

Speaking to ANI, Maryam, a protester said, "We respect and obey the decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It has been urged that a minimum number of people should gather at one place so people are coming here in shifts, in groups of five. We are ready to combat with coronavirus. We are following what has been told like wearing gloves, masks and using sanitizers."

She added that some unknown people had hurled a crude bomb at the protesters at the site yesterday.

"We don't know who they were. The government should have conducted an enquiry into this matter. They should care about these things. We are following the government's orders but they should also think about us and abolish this black law (CAA)," she added.

Yesterday, a bullet was fired and a petrol bomb was thrown at the protest site and a case has been filed at Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Nagar police stations, a police official had said.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will hear on Monday petitions seeking the removal of anti-CAA protesters from Shaheen Bagh to prevent the spread of coronavirus, along with other pleas pending before it in the matter.

"I believe that the SC will take a decision in our interest. The way they (interlocutors) talked to us so I think a good decision will be taken keeping in view of the women sitting here and in the wake of COVID-19," said Maryam.

Many protesters at the site were seen donned in masks and maintaining distance to mitigate the chances of spreading the deadly virus.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also announced a lockdown in the national capital territory of Delhi from 6 AM today to midnight on March 31.

According to latest data by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 396 individuals have been confirmed positive among suspected cases and contacts of known positive cases.