People’s March in Defense of the Republic
गणतंत्र की हिफाज़त में अवामी जुलूस
PRESS RELEASE
We members of the Indian public are deeply concerned with the grave assaults that are being mounted on the Republic. In the light of these adverse developments approximately fifty campaigns, movements and organizations are coming together to register our concern through a People’s March in Defense of the Republic to be held on January 30, 2016. Thousands of people from civil society movements are expected to join the march.
A statement signed by over 300 activists, artists, intellectuals, academicians, is being released today . Prominent Signatories:
A C Michael , Former Member of Delhi Minorities Commission, A Chinnappan, National Secretary, All India Catholic Union, Annie Raja, National Federation of Indian Women, Antara Dev Sen, journalist, Apoorvanand, Professor Department of Hindi, Delhi University, Aruna Roy, social activist, MKSS, Rajasthan, Ashok Bharti, National Confederation of Dalit Adivasi Orgs (NACDAOR), Dilip Simeon, People's Alliance for Democracy and Secularism , Dr Aditya Narayan Misra, Former President Federation of Central Universities Teachers Association ( FEDCUTA) & Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA), Dr John Dayal, Member NIC, past president, All India catholic Union, Dr Pushpa M Bhargava, Former Vice Chairman, National Knowledge Commission, , Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, the Milli Gazette, Harsh Mander, social activist, writer, Henri Tiphagne, Executive Director, People’s Watch, Madurai , Jayati Ghosh, Professor, JNU, Jenis Francis, President, Federation of Catholic Associations of Archdiocese of Delhi , K. Satchidanandan, writer, poet, K.M.Shrimali, Former Professor of History, Delhi University, KN Panikkar, historian, former Vice Chancellor, Medha Patkar - Narmada Bachao Andolan, NAPM, N.D.Pancholi, General Secretary, Citizens for Democracy, Nandini Sundar, Delhi University, Nandita Narain, Associate Prof, St.Stephen's College, DU, Navaid Hamid, President All India Muslim Majlis e Mushawarat, former Member, NIC, Nazariya- A Queer Feminist Resource Group, New Delhi, Niloufer Bhagwat, advocate, Mumbai, Nivedita Menon, Professor, JNU, Prabhat Patnaik, Professor, JNU, Prafulla Samantara - Lok Shakti Abhiyan, NAPM, Odisha, Prakash N.Shah, Editor Nirikshak, Gujarat, Prof. Ghanshyam Shah, academician, Gujarat, Prof. Manoj K. Jha, Department of Social Work, University of Delhi, , Sanjiv Bhatt, former IPS, Gujarat, Satish Deshpande, Sociologist, Delhi, Seema Mustafa, journalist, Shabnam Hashmi, social activist, Delhi, Syeda Hamid, former Planning Commission member, Thomas Pallithanam, National convener of WNTA , Uday Prakash, writer, Uma Chakravarti, feminist historian, Delhi, Vibhuti Narain Rai, writer, former Vice Chancellor, Vijayesh Lal, on behalf of Religious Liberty Commission , Vrinda Grover, lawyer, Delhi, Zaheeruddin Ali Khan, Siasat, Hyderabad, Zoya Hasan, Professor Emeritus, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
People’s March is being organised by over 60 organisations: They include:
All India Catholic Union, Aman Biradari, AMU Old Boys Association, Anhad, Ashray Adhikar Manch, Ashtha, CRPT, B4, Centre for Policy Analysis, Centre for Research and Policy in Disability, Centre for Social Dignity, Centre for Social Equity and Inclusion, Christian Yuva Morcha, Punjab, Citizens for Democracy, Delhi Forum, Delhi Viklang Adhikar Manch, Dhanak, Dwarka Collective, Forum against Corruption & Threats , Ideal Academy, Jamia Collective, Joint Women’s Programme, Khudai Khidmatgar, KSSP Delhi Forum, Let Us Stay Together, Manav Ekta Damuti Gujarat, Mewat Development Society, Mewat Sangharsh Samiti, Mewat Vikas Sabha, Nai Umang Nai Soch , NAPM , National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights , National Confederation of Dalit Adivasi Orgs (NACDAOR), National Equity Forum, National Federation of Human Rights Clubs in Schools, National Federation of Indian Women, National Movement Front, Nazariya- A Queer Feminist Resource Group, Nine Is Mine, Nirantar, NoMore Campaign, Northeast Support Centre & Helpline, PATWA, Pehchan, People’s Watch, People's Action for Rural Awakening , Peoples Alliance for Democracy and Secularism , PRATYeK, PWA, Religious Liberty Commission , Right to Food Campaign, SAMAG TEAM, Vidyajyoti College, Viklang Ekta Manch ,Samarpan, Siksha, Social Action Trust, Students Front for Swaraj, Sur Nirman , Swaraj Abhiyan, United Christian Forum, Wada Na Todo Abhiyan , WAFAA, YUVA, Yuva Samvad, YWCA India .
The People’s March will assemble at Mandi House at 11am and start at 11.30am. It is a designed march which will prove to be a visual delight along with raising important issues already explained in the statement. Special banners, placards, flags have been designed for the march. March will also have E rikshaws draped in special banners and with artists singing movement songs in them. People’s March is expected to have 18 different sections of 150 people each. People’s March will start from Mandi House and pass through Barakhama Road, Tolstoy Marg and Jantar Mantar.
People’s March will culminate in a cultural event at Jantar Mnatar with thematic performances of poetry, music, puppetry and dance. Participating artists and groups include: Circus art by 9 is Mine, Adivasi dance performance by Centre for Social Dignity, girls band by Ideal Youth Club, Faiz by Shefali Frost, movement songs by RAAG, Ashish Dha, IPTA, Sandeep Messey, modern dance by Ria Krishnatraye, poetry recitation by Raza Haider, Saurabh vajpaye and Gauhar Raza, poem enactment by Sanjay and Hriday Sharma, Stand Up Acts by Sanjay Rajoura and Maya Krishna Rao, performance by Aman Biradari students, artists from Chattisgarh and Rajasthan and many other artists are being contacted and are expected to perform.
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The following briefed the media:
AC Michael- Former Member of Delhi Minorities Commission
Annie Namala- Wada NaTodo Abhiyan
Annie Raja- National Federation of Indian Women
Bharti Ali- Co-Director, HAQ: Centre for Child Rights
Harsh Mander- Aman Biradari
Minakshi Singh-Samarpan
Muralidharan- Convener, Delhi Viklang Adhikar Manch
Navaid Hamid- President All India Muslim Majlis e Mushawarat
Satendra Kumar- Wada NaTodo Abhiyan
Shabnam Hashmi- ANHAD
