A citizens’ protest will be held at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on June 28 against the “targeted lynching” and assaults. The organisers hope other groups will hold similar protests across the country. They have titled the event Not In My Name.
The protest is the brainchild of documentary filmmaker Saba Dewan. “We can’t wait for others to protest,” Dewan told Scroll.in. She said the demonstration was prompted by Friday’s stabbing of a 15-year-old boy on board a Delhi-Mathura train. “I simply created an event on Facebook,” she said. “A lot of like-minded people have joined us now.”
Dewan said the repeated incidents of lynchings of Muslims and assaults on Dalits have left her distraught. “These attacks show that our fundamental rights are being violated. And the state chooses to be silent,” said the filmmaker. Dewan said the lynching on the train on “shook me up”.
A 15-year-old boy, identified as Hafiz Junaid, was stabbed to death on board a Delhi-Mathura train on June 22. His three brothers – Hashim, Moin and Sakir – were hospitalised with stab wounds. The four had boarded a local train from Delhi’s Sadar Bazar Station after shopping for Eid. The fight, which began over seats, turned communal after the mob repeatedly called the brothers “anti-nationals” and “beef eaters”.
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