Protests and support rallies are set to be held on Wednesday and later in the week, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on his second bilateral visit to the U.K. in three years, ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). Issues ranging from sexual violence to the situation in Kashmir and violence against Dalits and religious minorities are likely to figure prominently.
Among the groups that will hold protests will be CasteWatchUK and the South Asian Solidarity Group, which will hold a rally outside Downing Street. Several hundreds of people, particularly Dalits, are expected to join the rally from across the U.K.
“On the one hand, Modi talks about bringing people together... but on the other hand his cohorts, RSS stormtroopers, continue to brazenly defy the law, unleashing violence on Dalits and religious minorities,” said a representative of CasteWatchUK.
Threat to democracy
“We are in favour of a united India, rather than anything that divides it and it is precisely for this reason we believe this aspect of India should not be undermined by a minority of divisive forces. Hindu nationalism must be curtailed to avert India sliding towards wholesale dictatorship threatening the democratic fabric, rule of law and the unity of law.”
A separate silent protest — with participants encouraged to wear white in solidarity — organised by a group of women will take place on Parliament Square on Wednesday afternoon to express “pain, sorrow, shock” and condemnation of the rapes in Kathua and Unnao, and beyond.
The Sikh Federation U.K. will also be holding a rally in Parliament Square on the treatment of Sikhs and the detention of British citizen Jagtar Singh Johal by Indian authorities. NGO Action for Elephants will protest outside the Indian High Commission on Friday to draw attention to the “horrific treatment” of temple elephants in India.
A petition calling on the British government to ban a rally being organised by Lord Nazir Ahmed on “Indian atrocities and human rights issues in Kashmir” has received over 600 signatories. The petition accuses him of pursuing a “Pakistani agenda” and being “hell bent upon escalating tensions in the U.K.” A rally to “support PM Modi” and “oppose anti-India forces” will take place on Parliament Square, also on Wednesday.
Bharat ki Baat
Around 1,700 people are expected to attend the ‘Bharat ki Baat’ event in central London the same afternoon in which the Prime Minister will answer questions from the floor as well as collated from online submissions and broadcast live.
However, others who are not protesting, but hoping to raise the issue of the rapes and violence against women, say that they have been subject to abuse and intimidation. A spokesperson for the National Indian Students and Alumni Union U.K. said that after the union and over 20 of India societies from across U.K. signed a letter urging Mr. Modi to initiate “immediate proceedings” in the Kathua and Unnao cases, they had been pressured to withdraw their support.
The spokesperson pointed out that the group was being harassed simply for raising an issue and asking questions; they have submitted a question on the issue to ‘Bharat Ki Baat’, which has courted questions from the public.
“We are not against the Prime Minister, quite the contrary: we are welcoming him…we are exercising our democratic right to send in a question. What we are seeing with the backlash is that young Indian voices have been consistently suppressed for political motivated ends at either end of the political spectrum, in an attempt to divert attention from real issues.”
