IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, July 11: People from different walks of life on Tuesday jointly staged a protest demonstration here against the terrorist attack that killed seven Amarnath pilgrims and left at least 20 others wounded in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir Monday night.
Despite the rain, in a few hours of the protest call by members of #NotInMyName campaign team, over hundred people – men and women, young and old – gathered at Jantar Mantar in the National Capital to condemn the Amarnath killings. They appealed to all citizens of the country to unite against the politics of hatred.
Protesters were holding placards with messages like “I condemn Amaranth Yatra killing,”, “Peace is the only way” and “Naftrat key Khilaaf Hum Sab ki Awaaz (We all are one voice against the hatred)” — and #NotInMyName was written on them.
Among eminent faces at the demonstration were academician and writer Purshottam Agarwal, poet and scientist Gauhar Raza and founder of “NotInMyName campaign Saba Dewan.
The campaign was recently launched on social media to protest against incidents of lynching in the name of cow or beef. On 1st July, it had staged its first and massive demonstration at Jantar Mantar against the in-train lynching of a 16-year-old boy Junaid Khan of Haryana.
Protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi against Amarnath Killings
At the end, Journalist Bilal Zaidi read out a statement issued by the “NotInMyName” campaign.
“This is very sad that Pilgrims on the way to Amarnath were killed. Whosoever the killers they are definitely the enemy of Humanity. When situation in the valley was worse, pilgrims had not any kind of fear. Kashmiri people were always proud that Amarnath Yatra always remained safe. Today this trust has been broken by those who want that the bloodshed continues. We common people must need to intervene in such a situation. Besides standing in solidarity with the victims, we must stand against the political violence. That politics should not be allowed to divide people in the name of religion. The people of valley are stuck in the cyclone of violence. Those days are not so old when we saw the bodies of Kashmiri youths hit by pellet guns. Every life is important. We demand that the politics of hate must stop so that neither any pilgrim during yatra nor anyone returning from Eid shopping is killed again,” Zaidi read.
Besides this protest, students in Jamia Millia University staged a candle light vigil and prayed for the victims.
“We condemn Amaranth killings. We are against all those who want to destroy peace in the country. We don’t accept such activities,” a student Rizwan Ahmad said.
Another student Heena said, “This incident is an attack on humanity rather than any religion. It is highly condemnable.”
