"Not in my name", says India, takes a stand against mob lynching

Citizens came together in many cities on Wednesday for silent protests against incidents of lynchings across the country.

Enough is enough is India's message to mob lynching. Citizen groups in over nine Indian cities came together to condemn the growing trend of lynching under the banner "Not in my name". Protests were held in at least 9 Indian cities on Wednesday including at Jantar Mantar of New Delhi and Town Hall of Bengaluru.

Protests are being held in specific locations in New Delhi, Mumbai, Patna, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Hundreds of protesters turned up at protest sites across the country with banners condemning lynching. Prominent writers, artists took part in the protests.

An online campaign that was started by a Gurgaon-based filmmaker, Saba Dewan, has become the voice of thousands of Indians opposing lynching that is becoming a dangerous trend in the country. Wednesday's protest was against all mob lynching incidents including those over beef and cow slaughter. Saba Dewan's Facebook post calling for a protest has caught the imagination of the country with netizens willing to voluntarily take part and express their anger against lynch mobs. The protest is not just to register their anger against incidents of mob lynching but also a message to the families of victims that they are not alone.

The demonstration under the banner, "Not in my name", aims to convey that whatever is happening in the society is not happening in the name of Indians and we do not approve of it. The message has managed to find support in thousands of Indians including those living abroad. On Wednesday, groups in at least nine other Indian cities held protests while protests were also planned in London.

On June 24, Saba took to Facebook to condemn lynching in the country especially that of Junaid on a Mathura-bound train on Thursday. A dispute over a seat led to Junaid and his brothers being assaulted by a group of men. The victims were taunted for being Muslims. Junaid and two of his companions were stabbed. Triggered by this mob lynching incident, "Not in my name" movement took off.

OneIndia News