Protest in the time of Covid-19:From Radically Networked Societies to Socially Distanced Societies
A Decade of Protests
The
last decade saw a series of mass protest movements across the world. Reasons for these protests were varied. In Brazil,
Turkey, Indonesia, France (Yellow Vests), and the United States (Occupy Wall
Street), these protests were against the economic policies, rising prices and
excessive taxation that affected the common masses.[1] Protests in the Middle East and North Africa saw
pro-democracy uprisings in Tunisia (“Jasmine Revolution”), Egypt (the famous
Tahrir Square in Cairo), Syria, Morocco, Libya, and Yemen.[2]
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| Tahrir Square on July 29 2011 during the Friday of unity (Wikipedia) |
India too witnessed its share of mass protests during this period. The anti-corruption movement in 2011 (named among the “Top 10 New Stories of 2011” by Time magazine) brought together thousands of people protesting the scams under the then UPA-2 government and demanding the passing of the Jan Lokpal Bill. In 2012, the brutal rape and murder of a physiotherapy student in a Delhi bus saw the nation erupt in anger. This was followed by unprecedented street protests demanding action against the rapists and creation of a stringent law to deal with sexual crimes against women. More recently, the country saw a spate of protests against the new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), along with the National Register of Citizens and National Population Register, brought in by the Narendra Modi-led NDA government. Shaheen Bagh, a locality in the national capital, where women and children have been on a sit-in protest since December 2019, has emerged as the symbol of peaceful, anti-CAA protests. More on that later.
Radically-Networked Societies
A
common connection between these distinct, global protests was the manner in
which they took place. They were all
galvanized by a common cause and supported by technology - internet and mobile
phones to be precise.[3] The
causes which triggered these movements may have existed for long. But unlike in the past, access to mobile
phones and internet today greatly facilitated these protests. Access to inexpensive, new tech allowed large
swathes of the population, spread over wide geographical locations, to connect
at short notice and at considerable speed. This was a radically-networked
society (RNS) in action. [4] It was the capacity to bring large numbers of people,
connected through the World Wide Web, into a common, physical space.
Socially-Distanced Societies
The turn of the decade, however, has presented the world with a
different challenge - the novel coronavirus.
Known popularly as Covid-19, this pandemic has brought in a new behavior
pattern and made our societies act in a manner which they are not accustomed
to. That is, maintaining social distance
and keeping away from each other. As on
date the virus has affected over 200,000 human beings in 170 countries and
territories and caused over 8000 deaths.[5]
This includes India too. However, as compared to some other countries
much smaller in size and population, India has with 173 reported cases and four
deaths till this point, commendably managed to control the impact of the virus. Both the central and state governments have taken
strict measures to contain the spread of Covid-19. This has included banning entry of foreign tourists
into India; health checks on passengers coming in from different countries; closing
educational institutions, malls, theaters, and social gatherings; avoiding non-essential
travel; canceling sporting events, conferences and all activities that involve
assembly of crowds.
The Delhi government separately announced a ban on gathering of
more than 50 people at a place. This
order has brought focus back on the Shaheen Bagh sit-in.
 |
| Protesters at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint |
To Distance or Not
The question being asked is whether the women participating in
the sit-in at Shaheen Bagh should end their protest and return home, in
solidarity with national efforts at social distancing to contain the spread of
Covid-19? The women at Shaheen Bagh have
come across as an embodiment of resilience and grit in the face of extreme
opposition and criticism by the supporters of CAA. They peacefully and resolutely sat through a
harsh Delhi winter, unseasonal rains, and violent communal riots. And thanks to the radically-networked society
that we are part of today, Shaheen Bagh has inspired similar protests across
the country in cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad ,and Lucknow,
to name a few. In fact, with the Arvind
Kejriwal government passing a resolution requesting the central government to
withdraw the NPR-NRC exercise in its current form, the Shaheen Bagh protesters
clearly have won a principled battle in their own backyard.[6] It is time for them now to return home in their
best interests; but more importantly, for the well-being of their city. It was reported that the sister of one of the
organizers of anti-CAA protests in Jahangirpuri area of the capital had tested
positive.[7] Continuing with a large group protest under
these circumstances, especially one that involves elderly women and children - the
most vulnerable demography as far as the virus is concerned - is something that
organizers have to think seriously about.
Discretion is the better part of valor. The Shaheen Bagh protestors should disband for
now and consider regrouping after we put Covid-19 behind us. Once the need for social distancing recedes,
the radically-networked society can conveniently take over.
Postscript: While we advice citizens on the benefits of
social distancing, it is worth keeping in mind that the Parliament is still in session
and will continue to do so till the Budget Session ends on April 3.
[1]
“The march of protest”, The Economist,
June 29, 2013. https://www.economist.com/leaders/2013/06/29/the-march-of-protest
(Accessed March 19, 2020)
[2]
Erin Blakemore, “What was the Arab Spring and how did it spread?” National
Geographic, March 29, 2019 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/topics/reference/arab-spring-cause/
(Accessed March 19, 2020). Some of these
protests came to be known as the “Arab Spring.”
This description was challenged with an analyst calling it a “misnomer.”
Asher Susser, The “Arab Spring”: The Origins of a Misnomer, E-Notes, Foreign Policy Research
Institute, April, 2012, https://www.fpri.org/article/2012/04/the-arab-spring-the-origins-of-a-misnomer/
(Accessed March 19, 2020).
[3]
Nitin Pai and Sneha Shankar, “Networked Societies and Hierarchical States: The
Emerging Challenge to Political Order”, Proceedings of a conference on Promoting Democracy for Creating a Better
and Peaceful World: Regional, National and Local Perspectives, Observer
Research Foundation, New Delhi, 2015. P. 150
Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.
[4]
Nitin Pai and Pranay Kotasthane, “Liberty & Security in Radically Networked
Societies: A Challenge for Every Generation”,
in Parth Shah (ed) Liberalism in India,
Past, Present and Future, Essays in Honour of SV Raju, Center for Civil
Society, New Delhi, 2017. pp. 123-145. The authors define “Radically Networked
Society as a web of hyper connected individuals, possessing an identity
(imagined or real), and motivated by a common immediate cause.”
[6]
Aneesha Bedi, 60 Delhi MLAs & I could
be ‘doubtful citizens’ if NPR-NRC take place, says Kejriwal , The Print,
March 13, 2020 https://theprint.in/india/60-delhi-mlas-i-could-be-doubtful-citizens-if-npr-nrc-take-place-says-kejriwal/380810/
(Accessed March 19, 2020)
[7]
Fatima Khan, Delhi anti-CAA protest organiser in quarantine after sister tests
positive for COVID-19, The Print, March 19, 2020
https://theprint.in/health/delhi-anti-caa-protest-organiser-in-quarantine-after-sister-tests-positive-for-covid-19/383786/
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