Students and social activists accompanied by mothers of former Hyderabad University scholar Rohith Vemula and missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed participated in a ‘Sansad March’ against “threats” to India democracy in the present times.
The protesters marched from Mandi House to Jantar-Mantar and raised slogans demanding justice to Rohith, who had committed suicide in January, and recovery of Najeeb, who disappeared from his hostel on 15 October after a brawl with ABVP members the previous night, last month.
Rohith's mother Radhika and Najeeb's mother Fatima Nafees addressed the gathering and appealed the “peace-loving people” of the country to stand in solidarity to meet the challenges of the present times.
The march organised by Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) was also aimed at seeking justice to the people including minority community members and tribals killed in various parts of the country.
“Several incidents act as witness to the fact that there are some miscreants present in society who enjoy the sympathy of people in power. They spread communal hatred, assault the Dalits, the Adivasis, target Muslims, kidnap and kill innocents and propagate lies. This is challenging the internal security and law of the land,” Laeeq Ahmed Khan Aqil, national secretary of SIO said in a statement.
Several social and political activists including Shezad Poonawala, John Dayal, Ashish Khetan and Navid Hamid also addressed the gathering.
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