The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has imprisoned a large number of dissenters amidst a global pandemic, South Asia Solidarity, an Indian diaspora organisation said on August 15, launching a protest on the Westminster bridge in London demanding Mr. Modi’s resignation. The group spearheading the event alleged that under the current government, India had normalised violence against religious minorities and the Dalits.
“As India’s 75th Independence Day dawns, the country’s secular Constitution lies in tatters. Communal and caste violence stalk the land. Thousands of political prisoners languish in COVID-infected prisons, and hundreds of thousands of people are grieving the loss of their loved ones as a result of the callous negligence and mismanagement of the Coronavirus crisis,” Mukti Shah of the South Asia Solidarity said in a written statement.
The organisers pointed out violence against the Muslim community, sexual violence against Dalit women and girls, corporate dominance of agriculture, crackdown on dissenters, and tampering with EVMs and ballot boxes as some of the features of the rule of Mr. Modi.
“We, a group of diaspora members and friends standing in solidarity with the people of India, are demanding the resignation of Narendra Modi, the chief architect of this violence, injustice, and criminal negligence,” said South Asia Solidarity.
The protest began early in the morning in London with the giant banners bearing “Resign Modi” placed on the bridge. Before that the protesters held a candlelight vigil outside the Indian High Commission. The group also launched a social media campaign on the occasion.
In recent months, London has witnessed several protests critical of the present Indian government on issues such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens among others.
