Wednesday, June 28, will see protests across India against the increasing violence against Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis and other minority groups in mob lynchings with the most recent one being teenager Junaid’s murder by a group of men on a local train near Faridabad on June 22.

The protests, loosely united under the #NotInMyName hashtag, have been planned in major cities and towns across India and some cities abroad aided by social media. Hyderabad will see the first protest at 4 pm at Tank Bund, followed by Lucknow at 430 pm at Hazratganj. Kolkata marchers will congregate at Dakhinapan premises near Madhusudan Mancha at 5 pm.

Thiruvananthapuram has called for a demonstration at the Secretariat at 5.30 pm and in Kochi, protesters plan to assemble at the Ernakulam High Court junction at 5 pm.

Groups in Delhi and Bangalore will stage their protests at Jantar Mantar and at the Bangalore Town Hall at 6pm, respectively. In Patna, citizens will gather in Gandhi Maidan at 6 pm. Chennai will hold a protest on July 1, at the Valluvar Kottam in Nungambakkam.

Protesters abroad will picket the Indian High Commission in Toronto while an event has been planned at SOAS, London.

The idea for the citizens’ protest germinated with a Facebook post by filmmaker Saba Dewan. She said the government has maintained a brazen silence through all these heinous crimes, which is being represented as if all Indian citizens are okay with the bloodshed.

Dewan then called on citizens to assert that the killings and the hatred unleashed are not in our name. She reminded citizens of the fundamental rights to life and equality enshrined in the Constitution and said, “it is time, we, the citizens of India, reclaim and protect our Constitution.”

“If not now, then when?”  the post asked, adding that people should carry banners with the slogan, Not In My Name. She welcomed everyone to the protest across party lines but without party or organisational banners.

Saba Dewan is an award-winning, documentary film maker based in New Delhi. Her work focuses on gender, sexuality, communalism and culture. She is known for her trilogy of films, Delhi-Mumbai-Delhi (2006), Naach (2008), The Other Song (2009). Her 2009 film, which portrays the story of forgotten art and traditions as well as lifestyle of tawaifs or courtesans, was screened in the Dubai International Film Festival. Here’s her original FB post:

Less than 24 hours before the protest, another man was beaten up and a part of his house set on fire in Jharkhand after a dead cow was found outside his house. Police said the house of Usman Ansari at Beria Hatiatand village of Giridih district was set on fire by the mob. But, unlike other cases, police rescued Ansari and his family.

#NotInMyIndia

The author can be contacted @kilpady.