Mob lynching has been the most discussed topic in our country over the past few years. In case you’ve missed it, Lynching is an extrajudicial punishment by an informal group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate a group. Recently, a teenager boy and policeman were lynched brutally in two separate incidents which sparked the anger among the citizens of India. To condemn such heinous act of murder, people from around the country joined hands. A nationwide protest was held a day earlier under the banner “NotInMyName”.
Many Bollywood celebrities found their moral responsibility to support the cause. And so many of the popular faces came up with their opinion on social media. On Thursday, Dia Mirza, Arjun Kapoor, Vikrant Massey, Renuka Shahane, Hansal Mehta expressed their grief over the imprudent killings of innocents in the name of religion and cow vigilantism.
This came after noted actor Shabana Azmi and others from Bollywood joined the Wednesday campaign held in several cities across the country.
Mehta, known for films like "Aligarh", "Shahid" and "CityLights", tweeted: "Not all protests are an attack on the government or religion. They are a call to action and deserve impartial response from the establishment. Our democracy is still alive and vibrant. #NotinMyName marches are a welcome reminder that 'desh so nahi raha'. The mob may please note."
Also Read: Killing people in name of ‘Gau Bhakti’ not acceptable, says PM Modi
Arjun posted: "Finally the right use of a democracy and a protest to put forth a point of view in a non-violent way mob lynching has to end #NotInMyName."
Aditi tweeted: "Huge pride in standing firmly for what I believe my country should be, and the reality of what it's not #NotInMyName."
Dia shared: "What is #NotInMyName #MobLynching? We are protesting murder in the name of 'religion', 'food', 'culture', 'gender'. We are one people #NotInMyName."
An event was organised under the banner of "#NotInMyName" close on the heels of the lynching and murder of 16-year-old Junaid in a train following an argument that turned communal.
Also Read: Bollywood celebrities condemned brutal lynching of a Srinagar police officer & a Haryana teenager
At the protest, there were songs and speeches calling for communal harmony. The most significant of the lynchings was that of Mohammad Akhlaq in 2015, father of an Indian Air Force personnel, who was killed by a mob on suspicion that beef was kept in his house in Dadri, on the outskirts of the national capital.
On Wednesday, Shabana shared that there were "apolitical protests by citizens from all over India" and stressed the need for a "law against #MobLynching".
Actress Nimrat Kaur posted: "In complete and absolute solidarity with the #NotInMyName movement. Just hope that this leads to effective and immediate action".
Actor Varun Dhawan also extended his "support to the #NotInMyName movement".
Renuka Shahane posted a strong message on Facebook which got viral in no time.
Last week, a 15-year old youth was stabbed brutally to death over a beef rumour in a Haryana-bound train. In a similar manner, a senior police officer Mohammed Ayub Pandith was lynched outside a mosque in Kashmir. In April this year, a dairy farmer was killed in Alwar District of Rajasthan by cow vigilantes as he was taking cows for his dairy farm business.
For more related stories, visit the Entertainment section here.
