By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
Narendra Modi’s government faced the first stain of lynching when Mohsin Sadiq Shaikh, a Pune-based techie was killed in May 2014 by goons when he was coming out of the mosque after prayers. Since then, India has recorded several incidents of lynching and mob killing where almost all the victims were either Muslims or Dalits.
Protesting against these barbaric events, around 150 people were gathered today in Latur district of Maharashtra demanding the government to ensure the safety of Muslims and other targeted marginalised communities of the Indian society.
The protest which was held under the banner of ‘Swabhimani Muslim Vikas Parishad’ also had a unique way to address the inactivity of the government over such events. The protest site had four beds marked Minority Commissions, State Governments, Central Government and Opposition at states and the centre. People lying in the beds represented the inactivity and non-cooperation of these bodies when it comes to lynching and killing.
Protest organisers had only called selected intellectuals from the city to avoid any kind of trouble to traffic and management. Organisers informed that they didn’t want it to be an event where people could shout slogans and real issues could get suppressed.
Talking to TwoCircles.net Mohsin Khan, one of the organisers said, “Many people wanted to join, but we thought to not to make it too crowded. Although we are very grateful to those who have extended support to us.”
“Not only the ruling parties and their representatives are silent, but what is shocking that opposition is silent and only wakes up if it sees political gain in such cases,” added Khan.
The organisers expressed their thanks to the district administration and the police for their support in the protest.
The event saw the public speaking by the activists Madhukar Munde, Govind Salsad, Murtaza Khan, RZ Hashmi and Mohsin Khan demanding governments and their bodies to provide enough security and peace to marginalised sections of the society.