Women come out in support of Delhi violence victims

Hyderabad: Women’s organisations and transgender associations expressed solidarity with the victims of Delhi riots. Almost 30 organisations expressed support during a roundtable conference held in the city on Saturday.

Women and Transgender Organisation, Dalit Women’s Collective, Hyderabad Muslim Women’s Forum, Progressive Organisation for Women, Montfort Social Institutions were among those who took part in the event. It was organised by the Women and Transgender Organisations Joint Action Committee.

Ms Sunitha, one of the organisers, said  the violence in Delhi was unleashed on a particular community along with the local police. At least 42 people have died in the violence and more than 200 injured.

She said this was done to silence the peaceful protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, and its attempt to conduct the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR). Women are protesting against the CAA-NRC-NPR throughout India to protect and safeguard the secular spirit of the country.

Ms Sunitha said the NRC would impact every citizen. It would primarily impact the poor, the marginalized, the illiterate, the displaced and people without documents. “It will impact the people who are at a disadvantage. This violence is basically to silence this protest.”

Ms Sujatha Surepally of Dalit Women Collective said the Delhi riots resembled the 2002 Gujarat riots. “This is not an issue between Hindus and Muslims. It is the fundamentalist groups that are promoting Hindutva ideology, BJP-sponsored social media which is spreading lies, misguiding the youth and promoting hate,” Ms Surepally said.

She asked, “when you (the Centre) want to ban beef, why is it that there is so much of beef being exported? Is it because those slaughterhouse are owned by the upper caste creamy layer.”

Ms Vyjayanthi Vasanta Mogli, a transgender activist, said inter-sex babies were abandoned by their parents at their birth. “Many don’t know who their parents are, the NRC will force them to be homeless.”

Ms K. Sajaya from the JAC Women and Transgender. Hyderabad, said, “we will stand by them, During Independence, India chose to be secular, Now the BJP and RSS wants to kill secularism in India, they want to promote Hindutva Ideology which is not the Hindu ideology.”

She alleged that the RSS which had never been a part of the freedom struggle, was instigating communal violence.