The cycle rally of some young Gandhians and peace activists will cover 1700 kms across several states in 26 days.
Mumtaz Alam | India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 19— A cycle rally was flagged off from the Rajghat, the mausoleum of Mahatma Gandhi in the National Capital, to spread the message against incidents of mob lynching and mob violence across the country.
After being flagged off from the Rajghat, the cycle yatra of peace activists of Khudai Khidmatgar went to the mazar of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad near the Jama Masjid in the city and then proceeded on the national tour. They will cover 1700 kms in the next 26 days. The yatra will conclude on November 14 at Gandhi Bhawan in Kolkata.
Eminent persons including civil rights activist and Magsaysay awardee Sandeep Panday, senior journalist Qurban Ali and Faisal Khan and Kripal Singh of Khudai Khidmatgar were present at the launch. Khan and Singh are among 8 members of the cycle rally.
In the last few years, more than 60 people have been lynched over suspicions for cow slaughter, beef consumption, cattle theft or child lifting.
“We are aware of the heights of violence and series of lynching happening across the country, it is a serious challenge in front of us. Khudai Khidmatgar with the support of solidarity organizations took three different initiatives to handle the issue, like legal initiatives, providing emergency aid to the victims family, creating awareness through several events to stop these incidents. We also moved a petition in the Supreme Court in this regard, anyhow the condition is becoming worse day by day. We also believe that we all should involve in this issue taking as priority, must have to fight against this incident, else it would be proved as serious disease in the society, a large mass in this society accepting this style of violence and even the Government is playing moderate role in seriously handling this issue,” said Khudai Khidmatgar in a statement.
“When the tyranny is at its peak, then the Peace-Builders should work proactively amongst the people rather than organising seminar and discussion on the issue of mob lynching. Therefore, reaching out the people is the only solution for us so that we can infuse the message of love, harmony and fraternity in them,” it added.
During the yatra, the peace activists will interact with common people through cornor meetings, will distribute bilingual leaflets, conduct talks and discussions with the public through colleges and schools.
The yatra beginning from Delhi will travel through Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Here are some photos of the cycle yatra’s flagging-off event in Delhi:
