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No Fear No Favour

Shaheen Bagh ‘dadi’ Bilkis named in Time Magazine’s List of 100 Most Influential People

Byline by- Vinayak Heliwal

Bilkis, an 82-year-old woman who was the forefront of the Shaheen Bagh protests in Delhi against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), has been named by Time Magazine in its list of ‘100 Most Influential People Of 2020’.

The two-month-long sit-in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Shaheen Bagh were driven by the ‘dadi’s’ of Shaheen Bagh who gathered attention for their unshakable determination and loyalty towards the protests.

Bilkis, one of the ‘dadis’ of Shaheen Bagh, became the face of the Shaheen Bagh anti – CAA protests that went on to trigger massive protests across the country. She was among the women who walked every day from their homes to the site and protested all day till the night at Shaheen Bagh.

The Shaheen Bagh protesters camped in makeshifts tents on the roads for months, demanding the government to repeal the controversial CAA law.

The Time Magazine article authored by Journalist Rana Ayyub talks of how Bilkis became the voice of the marginalized and she deserves recognition so the world acknowledges the power of resistance against tyranny.

Bilkis in a statement regarding Anti-CAA protests had earlier said that she was fighting for the idea of a plural India, against all odds. And they will not move an inch until the CAA is repealed.

The protests at Shaheen Bagh hit pause only as the rising number of coronavirus cases in India posed a threat to the people protesting at the site and was followed by the country-wide lockdown.

Bilkis became a prominent face of the protest for her resistance despite her age. Bilkis firm resolve went on to inspire thousands of students and student leaders across the country to carry on the Anti-CAA protests for months.

The Time Magazine has released a list of 100 pioneers, leaders, titans, artists, and icons who marked their impact on people this year.India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bollywood Actor Ayushmaan Khurrana, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Professor Ravindra Gupta are also among Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020.

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