At a candlelight vigil in Rajghat on Saturday, many joined hands to protest the killing of Innocent Akhlaq over rumours of cow slaughter and beef consumption.
The protesters voiced their concern about the “attempts to make India into a Hindu nation. It was a citizen’s protest where people raised their voice against the spiralling communal killings and hate mongering.
The protest was organised by several groups including Khudai Khidmatgar, National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM), AISA, Swaraj Abhiyan and Sadhbhav Mission, among others.
They shout anti-government slogans during the protest. Protesters were carrying boards written “Akhlaq hum sharminda hai tere Khatil zinda hai”.
A protester, Vimal Bhai from NAPM, said, “Some people want to turn this country into a Hindu nation, which is not possible. We need to raise our voices against them; otherwise we will lose our ground”.
He also criticized Union Minister Mahesh Sharma for terming the lynching an “accident”. “How can such a barbarous act be an accident? Then the attack on Parliament and the 26/11 attack should also be considered accidents,” he added
Justice (retired) Rajinder Sachar, who is the head of the Sachar Commitee to give a report on the social, economic and educational status of Muslims was one among the many protesters.
Terming the incident shameful, Sachar said, “The government simply wants to make this a Hindu nation”.
The silence of PM Modi shows RSS and other communal hindutva forces working as Supreme Court for PM Modi. These people never let India to remain a secular country unless and until all secular minds must unite against such communal violence”, he said.
A member of Swaraj Abhiyan, said the family of Akhlaq revealed on their visit that “The sub-divisional magistrate of Dadri told the family members of the deceased to accept whatever is being given by the government and remain quiet. When we confronted him over his callousness, he refused to speak to us,” she said.
“Many politician have visited Akhlaq’s family, not to bring justice for them but to make their vote bank strong”, she added.
Let see will UP govt do justice with Akhlaq’s family. Will the accused get punished for their heinous actor not.