Hundreds of people staged protests in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Bhopal and Bengaluru opposing 'community-targeted' mob lynchings. The protest called 'Not In My Name' was held six days after 17-year-old Junaid was killed by a mob on board a Mathura-bound train in Delhi.
Among the protesters in Delhi were ordinary citizens, as well as leaders from the Congress, JD(U), AAP and the CPI. Students and artistes voiced their resistance against what the organisers called a "climate of fear" in the country through poetry, plays, songs and posters which carried messages such as "Not In My Name, Not In Anyone's name" and "Muslim lives matter, All lives matter".
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala, JD(U)'s K.C. Tyagi and CPI's D. Raja were among the politicians present there.
"We are outraged at the systematic violence. The state has done nothing; there has been a deafening silence from the powers that be," said filmmaker Saba Dewan, whose Facebook post last week triggered an outpouring of solidarity from across the country culminating in spontaneous countrywide demonstrations.
In Mumbai, several activists, film personalities and youth staged protest opposing 'community-targeted' mob lynchings.
Actors Shabana Azmi, Kalki Koechlin and Konkona Sena Sharma were among those who participated in the protest held at Carter Road in suburban Bandra this evening.
Bollywood actor Shabana Azmi and others participating the protest in Mumbai | PTI
Protesters marched silently, holding posters and placards bearing slogans. "Killing over food. Not in my name," read a placard.
"Today's protest was against the savage culture of mob lynching," journalist and author Rana Ayyub said.
In Bengaluru, several people came together to hold a silent rally at the Town Hall to protest against the lynchings and 'mobocracy' reported from across the country.
Protesters hold placards during the 'Not in My Name' silent protest in Bengaluru
The protesters holding placards and banners stated that killing was a criminal act and it was wrong to condone it in any pretext—be it religion, caste or community. The citizens asserted that the killings and the hatred being unleashed is 'Not In Our Name' and that 'Right to Life and Equality' was a fundamental right enshrined in the Constitution of India.
It is the responsibility of citizens to safeguard the Constitution by making the government accountable, said a statement released to the media.
(With inputs from Prathima Nandakumar in Bengaluru)
