Meet the Two Protestors on Hunger Strike Against CAA | The Wire

Zainul Abidin (29) and Mehroneesha (50), two protestors and residents of Jamia Nagar have been on a hunger strike against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens and National Population Register. Friday, January 10, Zainul Abidin completed 28 days of his hunger strike and Mehroneesha completed 10. Today, Abidin has been on a hunger strike for over a month. "Nobody from the current government or administration has paid any heed to me", Abidin told The Wire.

Zainul Abidin runs a business in Jamia Nagar and is a social activist. Both his sisters and brothers have been students at Jamia Millia Islamia. “I have a personal connection with the university”. Abidin said that the way the Delhi Police treated students who were voicing their dissent towards the government’s policies is also why he is on a hunger strike.
As a social activist, Abidin has spoken against social evils in the past also. In 2010, he protested and was on a hunger strike against the waste-to-energy power plant in Okhla due to environmental hazards, he said.

Mehrooneesha works at the Jama Masjid canteen and is also a social activist. She said she is at Shaheen Bagh because of the show of the strength of women. “If Amit Shah says he won’t move an inch on CAA and NRC, we say that we won’t move half-an-inch for the sake of this resistance, Mehrooneesha told The Wire.