Friday, June 17, 2011

Citizen's Silent March for Democracy

From Rajghat to National Human Rights Commission office, Copernicus Marg on 18 June at 5 pm

Please join in large numbers to register our strong protest against the government’s clampdown on peaceful demonstrators in the wee hours of 5 June. It reminded of the Jallianwala Bagh incident of 13 April 1919 when British troops opened fire on innocent citizens. The difference this time was that instead of bullets the state used batons.... There was no provocation.

Even otherwise the government has been using repression to curb dissent and muzzle the voice of civil societies demanding change and a better system of governance. Demanding a strong Lokpal or retrieval of black money from tax haven countries cannot be provocation in a country that prides of its democratic traditions. But instead of redressing grievances and trying to meet the demands, the government has preferred to run down civil societies using various techniques.

Such attempts include the attempts to malign the messengers of change and not allowing people to protest by imposing Section 144 at vantage points in the city. Let us march silently, holding placards, with our mouths tied in black cloth, from Rajghat to the office of the National Human Rights Commission this 18 June.

Route: Rajghat, Ambedkar Stadium, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Tilak Marg, India Gate, Copernicus Marg.

Time: 5 pm
Civil society leaders including
1.Arif Md Khan (former Union Minister and crushader for justice)
2.Ved Pratap Vaidik (former Editor of Navbharat Times and Editor PTI and Bhasa)
3.Ram Bahadur Rai (architect of anti-emergency movement in 1975 and senior journalist)
4.Jaya Prakash Narayan (former IAS officer and President of Lok Satta Party)
5. K N Govindacharya(Convener,Rashtriya Swabhiman Aandolan)
5. Surendra Srivastava (President Lok Satta Maharashtra unit)
6.Shri Ashok Tandon (Director Makhanlal Chaturvedi Rashtriya Patrakarita Evam Sanchar Vishwavidyalaya)
7. DP Sinha (winner of Sangeet Natak Academy Award)
8. Maloy Krishna Dhar (former Joint Director IB)
9. Udai Sinha (journalist)
10. Raja Bundela (film actor, director and social activist)
11. Sanjay Paswan (former Union Minister)
12. Basavraj Patil (former MP, covenor of Bharat Vikas Sangam)
13. Jagdish Chandra Sharma (former Ambassador, former secretary, ministry of foreign affairs)
14.Om Prakash Gupta ( former ambassador)
15.JS Rajput (former Director NCERT)
16.Amrit Lal (author and crushader against corruption)
17.Jawahar Kaul (Chairman, Pragya Sansthan)
18. Bachchu Kadu (Independent MLA, Amravati,Maharashtra)
19.Vineet Narain (crushader against corruption)
20.Amitabh Sinha (Supreme Court lawyer and social activist)
21.Nirmala Sharma (Gandhian activist)
22.Rakesh Rafiq (founder Yuva Bharat)
23.Arvind
24.Trasparency International
25. PV Rajgopal
26.Shiraj Ansari (Elected member- Amnesty International)

will be leading the movement.

This is a call to all thinkers, artists, athletes, scientists, writers, poets, journalists, teachers, corporate sector heads, actors, activists and other eminent citizens of the country to stand by the side of the hapless, distraught, oppressed and brutally suppressed lot that is looking up to you for moral support in this dark hour of India’s democracy.

Come one! Come all!

PS: Water, adequate first aid tools and vehicles for the aged and the ailing, who cannot walk the distance, will be available on spot