Women across India marched against “hate and violence” in 143 districts across 20 states on Thursday.
In a statement released ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, women’s organisations had said, “For the last five years, women of India have watched with growing anger as our struggles for equality have been dented and our hard-won freedoms undermined. We have watched the present government and its followers spread misogyny, hate and lies across this land. Today, on the eve of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, we say, NO MORE!”
Social activist Shabnam Hashmi had told PTI that the purpose of the march is to ignite women all over the country to use their vote to reject the current environment of hate and violence and to claim their constitutional rights as citizens of a democratic republic.
“The present government has led a war against its own citizens mob lynching, hate speeches, invoking draconian laws against peaceful protests, arresting people and calling them ‘seditious’, ‘anti-national’ and ‘urban naxal’,” Hashmi had said.
In New Delhi the march began in Mandi House and culminated in Jantar Mantar. Women in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and so on.
While some of the protests have concluded, some are going to take place in the evening.
Here are some photos from the march share by Twitter users:
(With PTI inputs)