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Portraits of Mumbai's anti-citizenship law protesters

By HITESH HARISINGHANI
December 19, 2019 19:52 IST
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Thousands of people from all walks of life congregated at August Kranti Maidan in Grant Road area of south Mumbai to protest the new legislation -- the Citizenship Amendment Act -- which many claim is discriminatory, communal in nature and goes against the very fabric of our nation.

Incidentally, the venue -- August Kranti Maidan -- is the same where Mahatma Gandhi had in 1942 called for British to 'Quit India'.

 

As the thousands gathered and shouted slogans like 'Modi-Shah se aazaadi' and 'Tanashahi nahi chalegi (dictatorship won't work)', Rediff.com's Hitesh Harsinghani was there to capture the mood.

And the one takeaway from there: They may look different, they may be from different parts of the city, but their anger is the same.

Mayur Bhingarde

The 23-year-old, works for a shipping company. "Our secular integrity is getting ripped off. Being at the protest is the least we can do."

Ayesha



A teacher at Mumbai University said, "I am here to save the spirit of our Constitution."

Jibran Shamsi

"This division shouldn't be happening in our country. We are doing our bit by protesting; the rest is in the hands of the government," said the 32-year-old hardware engineer.

Rashmi Kurien



She runs her own production company. The business owner said, "It's now or never and I'm tired of being silent."

Momin Khan



This 28-year-old is an ex-student of Jamia Millia Islamia. "I'm in solidarity with the students. I have hope things will change in the future."

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HITESH HARISINGHANI / Rediff.com