Parties, activists take out rally to protest lynchings

Several political parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI), besides various associations and activists today took out a protest rally at Dadar here against "lynchings and hate crimes".
Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's grandson and Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) leader Prakash Ambedkar, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, leaders from trade unions and political parties and activists from all walks of life took part in the protest rally that began from Plaza Cinema in Dadar to Chaityabhumi.
AAP leader Preeti Sharma Menon said, "The brutalisation of this country is creating a generation that does not think violence against the weak and helpless is wrong. Everywhere, minorities are under threat. But what is physically dangerous for the minority is mentally dangerous for the majority."

"This is not the future we want. We are Hindus, Muslims, Christians and people of all castes and creeds, including those, who do not follow any religion. We don't believe that the present regime will stop the destruction of the secular, democratic India promised to us by our Constitution. So this is not an appeal to the government. It is a wake-up call to the conscience of the country," she said.
She said the murderers of rationalists Dr Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and M M Kalburgi are "roaming free with impunity".
CPI leader Prakash Reddy said, "From 2014, lynchings became a common phenomenon and the Centre hasn't done anything to stop it. We condemn this brutality."

The CPM, CPI (ML), SUCI, CITU, AITUC, Sarva Shramik Sangh, Bharatiya Mahila Federation, Lok Sanskriti Manch, Maharashtra Urdu Writers Guild, Forum Against Oppression of Women, Naujawan Bharat Sabha, RPI (Secular) and several other organisations took part in the protest rally.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Azmi slammed the Centre and the BJP-ruled states saying that the ruling party has given covert support to cow vigilantes.
Addressing a press conference, Azmi said, "Eighty seven per cent cases of lynchings and attacks have taken place in the BJP-ruled states. Though, such cases had taken place earlier as well, but ever since the BJP came to power at the Centre, such cases have gone up."

Azmi, who represents Mankhurd Shivajinagar assembly constituency in Mumbai, said he would not mind paying money if the government levies tax to protect cows.
"But cows are wandering on roads and eating garbage. Why isn't the government not doing anything to protect them. It's a matter of shame for the government that on the one side cows have been left to roam on roads, while on the other hand people are being lynched in the name of cow protection," he said.
"These cow vigilantes are behaving like terrorists and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) should be invoked on these criminals," Azmi said.

He demanded that the kin of lynching victims should be given Rs one crore compensation.