#NotInMyName - Protests Held Across India against Mob Lynchings

Thousands of people hit the streets all across India on Wednesday in protest against the increasing incidents of lynching of minorities by communal mobs. Citizens from all walks of life, including artists, professionals, media persons, teachers, students, activists and youth participated in the "Not In My Name" protests that took place in various Indian cities and a few cities abroad.

The protests were organised after the idea was floated in a social media post of the documentary filmmaker Saba Dewan. The campaign, launched in the backdrop of the murder of 15-year old Junaid in a Delhi-Mathura local train, resonated among the citizens, whose lives have increasingly come under the shadow of criminal mobs.

Cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur, Lucknow and Chandigarh witnessed protests yesterday. Protests were also held in London, Toronto and Boston. People sang songs, recited poems, drew pictures and staged performances to voice their anguish. More such protests are being planned including in Chennai on Saturday.

The family members of Junaid were among those who participated in the protest in New Delhi. Junaid's cousin Mohammad Asaruddin read out a poem titled "From Junaid in Heaven to His Mother", which moved many in the crowd to tears.

DELHI

The Not In My Name protest at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. Photo courtesy: Not In My Name.

Protesters holding up placards at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.

Journalist Ravish Kumar at the ‘Not In My Name’ protest at JantarMantar, New Delhi. Photo courtesy: Not In My Name.

Protesters at the ‘Not In My Name’ protest at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. Photo courtesy: Not In My Name.

MUMBAI

Actors ShabanaAzmi and Nandita Das were among those who took part in the protest in Mumbai. Picture courtesy: Satyen K. Bordoloi.

The protest gathering in Mumbai. Photo: Inamul Hoque.

Civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad at the protest in Mumbai. Picture courtesy: Satyen K. Bordoloi.

A scene from the protest at Mumbai. Picture courtesy: Satyen K Bordoloi.

BANGALORE

Protesters at the Town Hall in Bangalore. Photo: PavelChakraborty

Historian RamachandraGuha at the ‘Not In My Name’ protest in Bangalore. Photo: PavelChakraborty

A scene from the protest in Bangalore. Photo: PavelChakraborty

Playwright and film maker Girish Karnad,with oxygen tube on, at the protest in Bangalore. Photo: Twitter.

KOLKATA

The ‘Not In My Name’ protest in Kolkata.Photo: Yajnaseni Chakraborty

JAIPUR

The ‘Not In My Name’ protest gathering in Jaipur. Photo courtesy: Not In My Name.

LONDON

Poet Meena Kandasamy was part of the protest in London. Photo: Rashmi Varma

The ‘Not In My Name’ protest at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London. Photo: Meena Kandasamy.

The protest at London. Photo courtesy: Meena Kandasamy