“Not in my name”

About 2000 people are protesting in Delhi and several across India against rising attacks on Muslims and Dalits by vigilante cow protection groups. Protests were also being held in 15 other cities as well as in London.  The campaign, #NotInMyName, started with a Facebook post written after a Muslim teenager was killed last week. Wednesday's protests also reports that a Muslim dairy farmer in Jharkhand state was assaulted and his house & was set on fire after the carcass of a cow was found at his door on Tuesday afternoon.

The protest is being helmed by a Gurgaon-based filmmaker Saba Dewan who gave out the rallying cry. In a Facebook post, Dewan called out for the outpouring of public conscience. “Shouldn’t there be protests against the lynchings especially after the murder yesterday in Delhi NCR by a mob of a 16-year-old Muslim boy?

Despite the rain, hundreds of people in Bangalore gathered at Town Hall on Wednesday to protest against targeted lynching’s occurring across the country. They held up placards and banners with the words ‘Not in my name’. The protest lasted two hours, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., before civic authorities shut it down.

Beef Ban

While India is a secular nation, over 80% of its 1.3 billion population is Hindu. Those who follow the religion consider cows to be sacred and hence do not eat its meat. Additionally, many states in India have banned the slaughtering and the consumption of cows. This has caused tensions to rise between the Hindu communities and the Muslim communities as a result. And those found violating the law can be jailed for up to 10 years. Parliament is also considering a bill to bring in the death penalty for the crime.

Analysis

Protests under the banner #NotInMyName are being organised in 16 Indian cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Allahabad as well as in London on Wednesday. Gatherings are also planned for later in the week in Toronto, Boston and Karachi.

Crowds gathered at Jantar Mantar, a historical Delhi monument and popular venue for protests. Many of the 2,000 present held posters and banners saying #NotInMyName.

Is it so easy to divide Indians on the basis of religion?

On the stage, poets recited verses, and musicians sang songs of protest.

Indian citizens need be protected, saying the right to life is non-negotiable. The protest organisers have alleged that the family of Junaid Khan, the 16-year-old Muslim boy brutally killed by a Hindu mob on a train last week, had not been able to attend the protest because they were intimidated by the authorities.

Social media has enabled a huge turnout which might create a change in the country. It is a step towards making people think about what is happening. 

Assessment

Our assessment is that, people all over the world who are concerned about what is happening are coming together with protest to break the silence. Killing a fellow human because of difference in faith & food habits seems to be highly against the ethos of what the country has stood for centuries. It is poignant to remember that we achieved our freedom primarily through non-violence. And the world respects and remembers us as a non-violent country.

Source: Synergia Foundation