The anti-CAA protests at Old Washermenpet in Chennai have been called off till March 31 in view of the coronavirus outbreak. The protests lasted for 33 days.
On Tuesday midnight, the protesters announced that they are calling off the protests. Further decisions will be taken after March 31. The protest has been called off temporarily following several requests made by religious leaders and others. After several rounds of discussions, the protest was called off at around 1 am on Wednesday keeping the coronavirus outbreak in mind.
The protesters have said that they will decide on going ahead with the protests after March 31. The protests began in mid-February taking inspiration from the Shaheen Bagh protests in Delhi. The protesters at Shaheen Bagh have refused to budge under coronavirus scare and have gone ahead with their protests.
In Chennai, scores of women from the Muslim community in Washermenpet looked at the protests as a platform to express their views against the Citizenship Amendment Act, NRC and NPR.
Tamil Nadu has so far reported only one COVID-19 case and the 45-year old man unuder treatment in Chennai has recovered and two subsequent tests returned negative. However, with the coronavirus pandemic spreading across the country, the state has taken various steps to contain spread of the disease.
As a result, major tourist places, including those in hilly Nilgiris district and the coastal town of Mamallapuram near Chennai have come under lockdow. Besides, people entering the district in the Western Ghats are being screened at eight check posts.
(With inputs from Lakshmi Subramanian)