After Two Weeks in Jail Over Anti-CAA Protests, Activist Couple from Varanasi Reunites with Baby Champak

Lucknow: A 14-month-old toddler in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, who was left without her activist parents for over two weeks after they were arrested and jailed for attending a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), has finally been reunited with them.

Activist couple Ekta and Ravi Shekhar, who were among the more than 60 persons arrested during protests against the law in Varanasi on December 19, were granted bail on Wednesday.

“My baby daughter Champak is dependent on my milk, I was worried about her. It was very tough for me,” Shekhar was quoted as saying by ANI.

The arrest of the couple, who run the NGO Climate Agenda in Varanasi, had led to massive outrage.

Additional sessions judge, Sarvesh Kumar Pandey, granted them bail on the submission of two bail bonds of ₹25,000 each.

Sheela Tiwari, Champak’s grandmother, had earlier said that her son and daughter-in-law left home on December 19 saying they were going to participate in a meeting. “They (Ravi and Sheela) had said they were going for a meeting and will also bring diaper and milk. They had promised to come back within 10 minutes but around 3 pm when I called them to know about their whereabouts, I was told they have been arrested. They told me to get diapers and milk for the baby and that their phones will be confiscated soon.”

Over 60 people, including Banaras Hindu University students and civil society members, were jailed over protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act. The UP police said charges of rioting will be brought against the arrested people.

Several people died, many suffered bullet injuries, in violence during the protests against the the CAA across Uttar Pradesh.

Over 60 people have been "identified for violence" during anti-citizenship law protests in Rampur and Gorakhpur. The police have issued notices, asking them to explain their position or pay for damage caused to public and private property.

The Rampur administration issued notices to 28 people on Tuesday after damage of nearly Rs 25 lakh was assessed across the district by the police and the administration, they said.

Police had initially said that the damage incurred was worth around Rs 15 lakh but the final assessment put the figure at Rs 25 lakh.