Holding placards that read “Break the Silence,” “No Place for Islamophobia” and “Shed hate not blood” among others, scores of people gathered at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday to protest against rising cases of mob violence.
The protest comes in the backdrop of the recent killings of Junaid Khan in Ballabgarh and Pehlu Khan in Alwar.
Junaid was allegedly called a “beef eater” while Pehlu Khan was killed allegedly by cow vigilantes.
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Protests were held in over 16 cities, including Mumbai, Lucknow, Bengaluru, London, Toronto and Karachi, where people came out in large numbers against violence perpetrated in the name of ‘protecting’ the cow and the nation.
The families of Junaid and Pehlu Khan were also present. Twenty-two-year-old Mohammad Asaruddin, Junaid’s cousin, read out a poem “from Junaid in heaven to his mother.” “Maa you had sent me to Delhi to buy clothes for Id but I reached heaven instead. You lied that Hindus and Muslims are brothers. When I was being beaten to death, everyone watched and took videos. Who would let their brother die before their eyes?” he read out, his voice quivering. The crowd cheered in support, with many wiping their tears.
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Amjad Khan (27) chose to break from the norm and wear his skull cap on Wednesday. It was to prove that despite his brother’s brutal murder before his eyes, he was not scared.