After paying their respects to tribal icon Birsa Munda at his samadhi in the Kokar area, the participants, paid tribute to Gauri Lankesh. (Source: PTI Photo)
The two-day campaign of Karwan-e-Mohabbat, an initiative of social activist Harsh Mander against lynchings related to cow vigilantism and killings related to ideology, concluded its Ranchi leg on Thursday with a candle march to protest the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh. The initiative aims to not only protest against such killings but also assure victims’ families of all possible help. Led by Mander and activist-journalist John Dayal, and joined by many others, the campaign arrived in Ranchi on Wednesday. After paying their respects to tribal icon Birsa Munda at his samadhi in the Kokar area, the participants, which included several activists from Ranchi, paid tribute to Gauri Lankesh.
The campaign then reached Giridih, where Usman Ansari was nearly killed by a 1,000-strong mob on June 28 for allegedly killing a cow. His house was torched. On Thursday, the activists met the family of Asgar Ali alias Alimuddin in Ramgarh district. Ali was lynched by a mob for carrying beef in his vehicle, which was torched.
Balram, the coordinator of the Jharkhand leg of the nationwide tour, said: “Our attempt was not only to protest but to tell the families we are ashamed that such a thing happened. All the speakers are of the view that the silences around the incidents are often construed as silent support. Therefore, it was necessary to break that silence and come out openly and say this was not something that is supported.” There are plans to create district level “aman manch (peace forum)” to streamline steps to help the affected families, he added.
