Union minister Smriti Irani on Saturday defended the Citizenship Amended Act (CAA) saying she is proud of the fact it provides refuge to non-Muslims persecuted in a country such as Pakistan.

“There have been cases where Sikh or Hindu girls have been raped and forced to marry her rapists. They are the kind of people who would want refuge in India. I am proud that this law that gives them the refuge they need,” Irani said at Hindustan Samagam in Lucknow.

Asked about the protest at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh where women have been at protest against the CAA, she said there was it was not possible talk to them because of a toxic atmosphere.

“When children are coached to raise slogans like ‘we will murder Modi’ then what do you say? What do you say when people say ‘bharat tere tukde honge’. What do you say to those who say we are 15 crore…?” she said.

She also questioned why protesters would bring their children to the protest site. The minister said it was inexplicably shocking that a woman had brought her four-month old to the protest site in the winter that eventually led to the infant’s death.

While conceding that the protesters have a right to protest, Irani accused the leaders like Salman Khurshid of the Congress by fanning passions with divisive slogans at Shaheen Bagh.

“Why did he not show the same concern when Pandits were forced out of Kashmir?,” she asked.

The Supreme Court had called for a “balance” on Monday and said that while people had the right to protest in a democracy, they should not be blocking roads, otherwise it would lead to chaos.

It appointed three mediators to speak to the protesters to find a solution while letting Shaheen Bagh stay. Two rounds of talks over Thursday and Friday have failed.

The protests at Shaheen Bagh, which began on December 15 seeking repeal of the CAA, have blocked one of the main connections between Delhi and satellite city Noida, causing problems for thousands of commuters.