Shaheen Bagh protestors pay homage to Pulwama martyrs, Anurag Kashyap chips in

Anti-citizenship law protestors at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh on Friday paid homage to Pulwama martyrs and observed a one-minute silence for the soldiers as they continued their demonstration that is now in its third month.

School children presented dance performances on patriotic songs as the hundreds of people gathered there extended their respects to the 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel who were killed in a terrorist attack on the Jammu-Srinagar highway at Lethpora in Pulwama on February 14, 2019.

Protestors at south-east Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, which has now become symbolic of the resistance against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), had on Thursday extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inviting him to come and celebrate Valentine's Day with them.

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, a fierce critic of the BJP government, also joined the protestors here on Friday. He met the famed Dadis of the protest and also relished some biryani the famous dish that has become a subject of contention between those in favour of and opposed to the CAA and NRC across the country.

Kashyap took to the stage and asked protestors to not give any reason to those in power to evacuate them from the site.

"When you fight for your rights, it is important that you stick with your truth. Don't give them any chance that they can violently remove you from here They do not understand the language of love. This is the only way to fight with them because they themselves do not know what they want," he said.

He also took potshots at Home Minister Amit Shah during his speech, saying he personally would not believe whatever the government claimed about the CAA.

"If we are misinformed, come and explain it to us," Kashyap said, hailing the protestors for continuing the demonstration which started on December 15.

Sonu Warsi, a protestor, told PTI, "Around 4 pm, scores of children performed on patriotic songs and we paid tributes to the Pulwama martyrs with the national anthem. A one-minute silence was observed later in the evening by all present at the site in respect of the martyrs."