Why the #NotinMyName protest didn't appeal to me

Why the #NotinMyName protest didn’t appeal to me

A 16-year-old Muslim is killed and people are out on the streets, a young girl is raped and we have a candle light protest. All I want to know is how much has it helped? After the Nirbhaya rape and murder case, we had people thronging the streets, but what happened after it? Rapes still do happen, murders are still very much a part of the game.

16-year old Junaid died and they said the Muslim minority is being targeted. Did it take a mob lynching and a #NotinMyName protest for you to know that members of one community are being targeted? I was surprised to hear some say that it’s really “shocking” to see that members of one minority community are on the firing line. For me, your oblivion is surprising.

The reality is not Junaid’s murder, the big dirty picture lies in the juvenile homes and prisons where young people have been rotting away on the pretext of being perpetrators of violence and with no lawyer willing to fight their case. Find out the reality from Muslim families whose family members were picked up after a terror attack and then left because of lack of evidence and how they have been marginalized ever since. [Read}

They want to share the reality of their lives but cannot because they are worried about what will happen next. I’ve talked to Muslims with reputable names in the society but will never speak on matters of public importance in fear of “repercussions”.

Also read: #NotInMyName, strangers coming together to uphold our Constitutional values

Go one step further and visit ghettos and slums where these young Muslims are a wealth of talent but no one gives them a day’s worth. They sell the same show pieces you buy for thousands for a mere few hundreds.

These token protests may help in getting people their 15 minutes of fame on national television but the bigger picture is still carefully veiled and for the most part, may never come to light. I’ve read of young people taking selfies at the protest, seems the protesters were out for an out of the box photo shoot.

Also read: PM crumbles under #NotInMyName protest pressure, warns gau-rakshaks

Furthermore, the security personnel used to maintain the protest venue at Jantar Mantar should have been ideally protecting citizens elsewhere in the city. Add to it, there were politicians participating in a non-political initiative which meant security was further beefed up at one place while other parts of the city may have been left vulnerable.

If you really want to help, please get a team of young lawyers and activists who can help these young people get a life again. Get them jobs, give them a life of dignity. Let’s get to the root of the problem and eliminate it.

For those who find it difficult to visit prisons and juvenile homes, be a janitor of minds. Clean the filth from people’s mind to make a difference. It makes for worthy activism.


Katherine is an Educator who has authored 4 novels including Every Sunset Has a Story(2019). She is a Law graduate. She is currently pursuing Journalism from the British College of Journalism. She tweets at @Katie_Abraham

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