Protesters gathered in three U.S cities on Sunday afternoon, against cow vigilantism in India that has claimed several lives in recent months. The victims have been Muslims and Dalits.
The Alliance for Justice and Accountability (AJA), a coalition of progressive organisations in the U.S called for the protests, taking inspiration from the “Not In My Name” marches in several Indian cities recently. Protests were held in Washington DC, San Diego and San Jose. Another event has been planned in New York on the 23rd.
“These killings have been orchestrated by Hindu supremacist groups ideologically aligned with the BJP-led federal government and drawing inspiration from the beef ban imposed by the governments in various States. The increasing hostility towards minorities displayed by even central ministers in the form of incendiary rhetoric has only added fuel to the fire,” AJA said in a statement.
Protesters also condemned the killing of seven Hindu pilgrims by militants in Jammu and Kashmir, and the murder of a Hindu man in Bashirhaat in West Bengal in a communal incident.
“Hindus, Muslims, Christians and all people of all faiths have lived together for centuries in India. Most Hindus in India do not approve of this violence. Prime Minister Modi has said this must not happen, but government of India and state governments are not taking sufficient action,” said Kaleem Khawaja, Executive Director of Association of Indian Muslims in America, who led the protest in Dupont Circle in the American capital. “India is a land of law. If this mob violence continues unchecked, it will become an anarchy instead of a world power,” he said.
A resolution passed by the protesters in Washington said they have “watched with much anguish the incidents of senseless lynching and murderous public violence in the name of religion that have occurred in the last one year and are continuing to occur in various parts of India.” It asked the Indian government to bring the culprits to justice and take steps to “restore communal harmony and peace in all parts of India.”
“The reign of terror unleashed by Hindu supremacist cow “vigilantes” is clearly targeted at browbeating the nation’s religious minorities into the status of second class citizens,” the statement issued by the organisers said. Protesters carried placards that said, “Not in My Name,” and “Beef ban is cultural fascism.”
Reflecting on the creeping communal polarisation among Indian Americans, Salim Sheikh, a participant in the protest in Washington said: “Until some years ago, 90 per cent of my friends were Hindus. Social gatherings used to be mixed, but gradually the distance began to grow. Perhaps, my Hindu friends have become busy along the way.” Mr. Sheikh, who grew up in Ahmadabad and a resident of Washington for nearly three decades, said after the 2014 election in India, this polarisation has grown sharper.
