The Anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and NRC (National Register of Citizens) protests were a defining moment of resistance in India, arising against policies denounced as anti-Muslim and corrosive to the constitutional ideals of equality and secularism. These protests drew a diverse coalition—activists, students, artists, and citizens—demanding justice and inclusivity.

However, the dissent faced brutal repression, culminating in the February 2020 Delhi riots, marked by deadly violence, widespread destruction, and entrenched communal rifts. In the aftermath, a wave of arrests disproportionately targeted young activists, students, and Muslims, exposing a troubling erosion of democratic freedoms and an aggressive clampdown on dissent.

Dreaming Dissent is an ongoing graphic journalistic project that traces the narratives of the Anti-CAA NRC protests through firsthand accounts. These include voices of activists, journalists, scholars, students, street vendors, cooks, shopkeepers, artists, and more. The project goes beyond documenting events; it explores the resilience of collective action and challenges dominant narratives, fostering dialogue and understanding.

A pivotal milestone in this work is the publication of interviews with Dr Nausheen Baba Khan and journalist Jyotirmoy Karmokar, released by ChertLüdde Books. This collaborative effort features illustrations by Suvojit Roy, Santanu Dey, Shibayan Halder, and Soumik Ghosh, with Swagata Bhattacharyya contributing to Dr. Khan’s interview and final graphic design from Narendran Nair.