The nationwide citizens’ protest ‘Not in My Name’ is to be held on Wednesday between 4 and 6 p.m. ‘Not In My Name’, a citizen vigil to protest the recent bout of lynchings of Muslims and Dalits
The campaign started with a Facebook post by a filmmaker against the lynching of Muslim teenager Junaid on a local train in Haryana. Junaid was stabbed to death on a Mathura-bound train, which he had taken with his two brothers after shopping at Delhi’s Sadar Bazar. A group of men hurled communal slurs at the boys and attacked them after an altercation, allegedly over seats.
Thousands have pledged to hit the streets in support of the campaign.
Protests will be held in different cities. The complete list of the venues is as follows:
- Delhi: Jantar Mantar
- Kolkata: Dakhinapan premises, next to Madhusudan Mancha, Dhakuria
- Hyderabad: Tank Bund
- Thiruvananthapuram: The Secretariat
- Bengaluru: Bangalore Town Hall
- Mumbai: Promenade, Carter Road
- Pune: Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Statue, near Pune Station
- Boston: Harvard Square
- Chennai: Gandhi Statue on Marina Beach
- London: SOAS University of London on Thornhaugh Street
- Chandigarh: Sector 17
- Toronto: 356 Bloor Street East (Sherborne and Bloor)
- Karachi: Outside Karachi Press Club
- Lucknow: Gandhi Park, GPO
- Patna: Outside Kargil Chowk
The filmmaker, Saba Dewan, said,“I never realised the response would be so overwhelming. Despite the debilitating violence, these protests will make us feel we are alive and spark hope.”
An image designed by graphic artist Orijit Sen featuring blood-stained chappals, a metal rod and the message “Not In My Name” is being shared by hundreds on the social media sites along with an appeal to join the protest.
“Please carry banners with the slogan – Not in My Name. This is a citizens’ protest open to all. Everyone is welcome but without party or organisational banners,” the invite reads.