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| How young lawyers are joining the struggle against India’s citizenship law | How young lawyers are joining the struggle against India’s citizenship law |
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| NEW DELHI — It was around 7 p.m. when the first SOS came. "Protesters have been detained, lawyers needed," read one of the terse messages circulating on social media. Within the hour, nearly 35 lawyers from across the city had gathered at the Daryaganj police station in Delhi. Then the struggle to release the detainees began. | NEW DELHI — It was around 7 p.m. when the first SOS came. "Protesters have been detained, lawyers needed," read one of the terse messages circulating on social media. Within the hour, nearly 35 lawyers from across the city had gathered at the Daryaganj police station in Delhi. Then the struggle to release the detainees began. |
| Demonstrations have swept across India against a new citizenship law that for the first time makes religion a criterion for nationality. The protests have been marked by spontaneous mobilizations through the Internet, highlighting the breadth of support for the protesters. One group answering the call are young lawyers. | Demonstrations have swept across India against a new citizenship law that for the first time makes religion a criterion for nationality. The protests have been marked by spontaneous mobilizations through the Internet, highlighting the breadth of support for the protesters. One group answering the call are young lawyers. |
| Since Sunday, when police stormed a university campus in Delhi after protests turned violent, people have coordinated over WhatsApp and social media. Lawyers have turned up at protests and helped detainees at police stations with paperwork. Lists have gone up with guidelines for protesters. Another has contact information for lawyers from 23 cities across the country. | |
| In Lucknow, Yusuf Safwi, a 30-year-old lawyer, has been inundated with “nonstop” calls from people requesting help for detained protesters. Safwi is part of a pro bono legal advocacy group, Indian Civil Liberties Union, which had four members in the city in north India, but since the protests have started, the number of volunteer lawyers has swelled to nearly 30. “This has all happened through word of mouth,” he said, surprised at the response. “To help those in need is the purpose of this profession.” | |
| Protesters see the new citizenship law as discriminatory and against the values of a secular democracy. The law creates an expedited path for citizenship for migrants from three neighboring countries. It covers followers of six religions but excludes Islam, the faith of 200 million Indian citizens. | Protesters see the new citizenship law as discriminatory and against the values of a secular democracy. The law creates an expedited path for citizenship for migrants from three neighboring countries. It covers followers of six religions but excludes Islam, the faith of 200 million Indian citizens. |
| In an effort to try to quell the protests, the Indian government has detained thousands and turned off Internet access in several cities. Those actions appear to have only further incited the protesters and prompted more violence. Friday marked a particularly bloody day for cities in the country’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, as 15 protesters in several cities lost their lives, according to state police officials. Internet in 15 cities remained suspended in the state Saturday. Despite these curbs, the protests show no signs of abating, and at least four demonstrations took place across Delhi, the capital region. | |
| On Friday, after one demonstration in New turned violent, the first to reach the spot were lawyers. | |
| “I never thought I’d be standing outside a police station not being allowed in,” said 28-year-old lawyer, Udit Malik, standing outside the Daryaganj police station late at night. Reva Mann, 26, another lawyer who was present, said, “As a student of law, Constitution is the first thing you read and this [citizenship] law is glaringly unconstitutional.” | |
| When the police refused to allow them to meet the detainees, including several minors, they began working the phones to call senior police officials. Two groups rushed to the residences of local magistrates with an urgent application. | When the police refused to allow them to meet the detainees, including several minors, they began working the phones to call senior police officials. Two groups rushed to the residences of local magistrates with an urgent application. |
| One of the magistrates’ homes was locked. At 10:30 p.m., the second team managed to secure an order from another magistrate. Directing the police to allow the lawyers to meet the detainees, the magistrate noted that detention of minors in a police station was a “flagrant violation of law.” | |
| Once inside, Malik and the other lawyers made a list of all detainees and began to contact their families. Many did not even know their family members had been detained. “One man broke down when he came to pick up his minor son,” said Malik, describing the scene inside. | Once inside, Malik and the other lawyers made a list of all detainees and began to contact their families. Many did not even know their family members had been detained. “One man broke down when he came to pick up his minor son,” said Malik, describing the scene inside. |
| Even as police officers began to cooperate, news of similar detentions came from another area. “Is there a doctor here?” shouted a lawyer as she gathered a team to head to Seemapuri, eight miles away. Abhisht Hela, a 28-year-old lawyer from the Delhi High Court, volunteered. | |
| “On Sunday, I spent the night helping detained students from Jamia [University] get released,” he said. “I’m here again to ensure that nothing wrong happens to those detained.” | “On Sunday, I spent the night helping detained students from Jamia [University] get released,” he said. “I’m here again to ensure that nothing wrong happens to those detained.” |
| As the night stretched and the temperature dropped to 53 degrees Fahrenheit, locals stopped by with hot tea and water for the lawyers. “This is the least we can do,” said Mohammad Anwar, carrying a flask of tea from his house. Another local who had come to watch began to broadcast live scenes on Facebook, thanking the lawyers for their “tireless efforts.” | |
| It was around 4 a.m. when many of the detained in the Daryaganj and Seemapuri areas were released while a case was registered against some who remained in custody. The night had ended, but for the lawyers, the work was not over. On Saturday, those arrested were brought to court, and their lawyers returned. | |
| “We are standing against the government, to fight for what’s right,” Hela said. | |
| Protests sweeping India emerge as significant challenge for Modi | Protests sweeping India emerge as significant challenge for Modi |
| India muzzles citizenship law protests, detaining thousands and shutting down Internet in several cities | India muzzles citizenship law protests, detaining thousands and shutting down Internet in several cities |
| Protests erupt across India against new citizenship law after police storm university campus | Protests erupt across India against new citizenship law after police storm university campus |
| Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world | Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world |
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