Celebs, activists hit Kolkata streets against lynchings

Kolkata June 28 (IANS) A large number of activists film personalities poets writers musicians and studnets on Wednesday staged a protest here against mob lynchings.

The rally was part of the nationwide protests christened Not in My Name.

Actor-turned directors Aparna Sen and Anjan Datta Bela Seshe famed actor Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee were among those who took part in the rally held at South Kolkata s Madhusudan Mancha.

The protest started at 5 p.m. with a song by Jadavpur University students that sought to spread the message of loving all communities and humanity in general.

When will we have that society where all religions will stay together? When there will be no lynching? We should all raise our voices and stop this tolerance together Sen said.

Women s rights activist Anuradha Kapoor one of the organisers of the rally expressed concern over the spate of lynchings in various parts of the country.

The people in the right frame of mind need to do something in a country like India where secularism prevails killing people in the name of religion caste and food habits is totally unacceptable.

This protest has been organised to show our solidarity against this discrimination Kapoor told IANS.

Regardless of the lack of organisational muscle and a drizzle the spontaneous protest drew a good number of people from all walks of life who came together to question the pattern of attacks on the minorities in the country and the silence of the government on the killings.

Similar marches were held in Delhi Hyderabad Thiruvananthapuram Bengaluru and Mumbai.

--IANS
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