A documentary filmmaker’s social media campaign calling for action against sectarian violence after the murder of a Muslim teenager has inspired nationwide protests in cities across India.
The campaign, called #NotInMyName, is garnering support from thousands of people who oppose vigilante violence targeting Muslims and Dalits. On Wednesday, protests were held in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram and Bangalore, according to media reports.
Gurgaon-based documentarian Saba Dewan was quoted as saying, “I never realized the response would be so overwhelming. Despite the debilitating violence, these protests will make us feel we are alive and spark hope.”
On June 22, 16-year-old Junaid Khan was stabbed to death by a group of men on a Delhi-Mathura train while traveling with his family to his home in Ballabhgarh after doing some Eid shopping in New Delhi. The men accused him and his companions of carrying beef in their bags and the situation escalated into violence.
According to Dewan, the anti-extremist campaign seeks to “reclaim the Constitution” and “resist the onslaught,” the Hindustan Times reported.