A clutch of activists will undertake a journey from September 4 to October 2 to protest against attacks on minorities in the country.
The journey, titled “Karawan-e-mohabbat”, will begin from Nellie in Assam and end at Porbandar in Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace.
Support pours in
Organisations like Anhad, Aman Biradari, Mazdoor Kisaan Shakti Sangathan, National Alliance of People’s Movements, National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, and Right to Food Campaign have announced their support for the initiative.
“We are getting support from various quarters. The final list of participants is in the process of being drawn,” social activist Harsh Mander told The Hindu .
The participants will visit Assam, Jharkhand, Western UP, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat to meet families that have been victims of lynch attacks, a background note said.
‘Worrying silence’
“We will visit those places that have been worst affected by lynching. We wish to respond to the everyday fear of Muslims, Dalits and Christians, and the worrying silence of the majority,” the note added.
The initiative is also aimed at highlighting the history of mass violence in the country. “We wish to acknowledge the long history of mass targeted violence against various vulnerable communities in India after Independence. We start at Nellie because this is where the biggest post-Partition massacre took place,” it read.
“In each State, we will try to assess how the families of the victims are coping and what they need for livelihoods and the pursuit of justice,” the note added.
