Activists, students to lead ‘Freedom and Fraternity March’ in Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Sept 27: The coastal town will witness a silent protest march led by its large student community on Thursday, September 28. The ‘Freedom and Fraternity’ March will involve student marchers who want to draw attention to the fact that both those qualities are essential in any healthy society.

The Freedom and Fraternity March is an initiative by various student bodies and like-minded organisations from the city of Mangaluru who feel disturbed by recent turbulent events that have occurred in the country, such as the murder of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, or the killings  of rationalists like M M Kalaburgi and Narendra Dhabolkar.

These concerned citizens now feel compelled to show up on the streets to stand up for the ideals of our Constitution. “All marchers will be binding their mouths to symbolically show that our voices are not being heard. We hope that this march will change that,” said Rahul, a student participating in Thursday’s march. “The march however is going to be a silent protest to act as a mirror to our so-far silent society,” he added.

The march will take place from Ambedkar Circle (Jyothi Circle) to Nehru Maidan, starting at 2: 45 p.m. The march will culminate with a public meeting at 3:45 p.m. at Nehru Maidan, where the discussions will stress on the importance of dissent in a healthy democracy.

The chief guest for this event will be noted activist and speaker Kavita Krishnan. “We feel that our right to freedom of speech and expression is constantly under threat in the country due to various incidents, so we decided to carry out this march to show that we were unhappy and that our right to dissent should not be trampled upon,” said Ujjwal, another participant.

“It is high time that the public unite to send a message of love and companionship among communities, and also show a peaceful yet firm resistance to those perpetuating violence,” said Vidya Dinker, co-ordiantor of Citizens Forum for Mangalore Development. This first of its kind silent student-led protest march in the city is expected to see overwhelming participations from citizens of Mangaluru.