JNU students start 3-day protest at Jantar Mantar against lynchings

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) began a three-day agitation at Jantar Mantar on Sunday, to protest against the mob lynching incidents taking place at various locations across the country. The move has come after hundreds of Delhiites joined the protest 'Not In My Name' at the same spot.

Thousands of people gathered at the protest site to spread awareness about mob lynching through creative posters, poetry, and songs. Protesters from Haryana's Bharat Mukti Morcha Unit were also present to demand justice for Junaid, a 16-year-old boy who was stabbed to death by a group of people on a Mathura-bound train.

"This protest is against those 200 people who were present at the Asavati platform but didn't come forward to help the injured Junaid and his brothers," Nadeem, a protester, said.

The infuriated protesters blamed the Central government for these incidents and for the widening gap between the Hindu and the Muslim community. "In some parts of the country, our innocent Muslim brothers are being beaten to death because people suspect they are supplying beef to big hotels," said one of the protesters.

The agitators further said that since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014, there have been several attacks on the marginalised groups. "It must be stopped immediately and strict action must be taken against people who carry out such attacks. If anything like this happens again, we will protest on a much larger scale," said Aslam, one of the protesters.

Another agitator, Ramzan Choudhary, said: "Since 1947, the Muslim community has contributed in the development of the country, but if incidents like this keep taking place, the country will stagnate."