NEW DELHI: A burqa-clad woman caused panic at
Shaheen Bagh
when she started asking the protesters irrelevant and uncomfortable questions. He real identity was revealed when she was found talking to someone on the phone stating that there were fewer women protesters than usual.
As the woman started getting surrounded by people, the protesters shielded her and took her near the medical room. Police soon arrived and took her away from the protest site. She was later released after questioning.
Nusarat, one of the protesters at the site, said, “We have no problem with anyone coming here. But the woman started asking questions like “kaun kaun se Hindu loag aaye thhe” and other irrelevant questions. At one point when she remarked “Hey Ram”, we realised something was amiss.”
Since the incident, women have set up a second frisking station. Before entering and sitting in front of the stage, now all women are being frisked.
Identified as
Gunja Kapoor
, the women called herself a YouTuber. On her Twitter bio, she describes herself as curator of “right narrative” and an analyst. She is followed by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
Upasna Sharma, one of the organisers who interacted with Kapoor, said when she asked the women her name, she replied, “Barkha”. “She lied about her name the first time. Asked why was she wearing a burqa, she said she was scared to come here. I told her I am also Upasna Sharma and I have been here since the first day of protests. She shouldn’t have come if she was scared,” she added.
Another protester claimed, “Wearing a burqa, she could have done anything to implicate the other women. So many things have occurred in the past few days and people want to defame the protest, so we have to be careful.”
Kapoor didn’t respond to TOI’s messages on different social media platform. However, around 8.15pm she tweeted, “I am safe & sound. Thank you everyone for your prayers and support. I am overwhelmed by it. Special thank you and gratitude to @DelhiPolice.”
Before the incident, the area was filled with revelry as around 450 farmers from Punjab had reached the protest site. They had come on Tuesday night, but were taken to a gurdwara by police.
Sudhger Singh, their media representative, said, “We are farmers from Bathinda and Moga. We will be here till February 8. We are here to show solidarity and send a message to the government for trying to divide the country.”
With most farmers being aged 60 and above, they will be spending the night at Al Habeeb Masjid, which is close to the protest site. On Wednesday, singers Prateek Kuhad and Anushka Manchanda also joined the protesters.
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