“The seven killed in Kashmir were only bystanders in the conflict, and we must stand up and demand an end to this politics of hatred.”
#NotInMyName vigil on July 11 in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against the Amarnath Killings in Kashmir. Credit: The Wire
New Delhi: Following the killing of the seven Hindu pilgrims on the Amarnath yatra in Kashmir yesterday, citizens today came together once again in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, in solidarity and against hatred, with placards saying ‘I condemn #AmarnathYatraKilling #NotInMyName’ and ‘Peace is the only way’.
Placards at the Jantar Mantar vigil. Credit: The Wire
The statement issued on behalf of the #NotInMyName campaign was as follows:
“We are saddened by the news that seven pilgrims on their way back from the Amarnath yatra in Kashmir have been killed in an armed attack last night. The Jammu and Kashmir police has issued a statement that the attack was on a police van and the yatris in a bus following, died while the fleeing attackers fired indiscriminately. The Amarnath yatris have never feared an attack even when the situation in the Valley was at its worst. People in Kashmir have always taken pride in the fact that the yatra was always safe. It is tragic that this faith and trust today stands vitiated by elements who clearly want to kick-start a chain of incidents that will bring more tragedies, more deaths and more hatred.
Protesters who came together at Jantar Mantar. Credit: The Wire
“As citizens, we must intervene in this situation. We mourn the death of those civilians who were killed and we also take a firm stand against political violence, no matter who the perpetrator. Kashmiris in the Valley have been caught in a vortex of violence and it was only last year that we were faced with hundreds of disturbing images of young people carrying pellet wounds over with bodies. All lives matters. And the dead bodies should not become a part of the politics that divides people on the basis of religion. The seven killed in Kashmir were only bystanders in the conflict, and only when we stand up and demand an end to this politics of hatred, that we can prevent the deaths of innocents, whether on a pilgrimage, or returning from Eid shopping.
We call upon all citizens to ensure peace and resist any call to further violence.”
Watch: The Wire‘s video coverage of the vigil:
Watch: The Wire’s video coverage of the vigil in Hindi: