Jai Shri Ram Has Become a 'War Cry': 49 Celebs Write to PM Modi About Mob Lynchings

Guwahati, July 24, 2019:

49 celebs from across the country wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing their concern regarding lynchings and religious hate crimes in the country. A total of 49 celebrities have signed the letter expressing regret that 'Jai Shree Ram' has become a war cry today. Celebs including the likes of Anurag Kashyap, Aparna Sen and Adoor Gopalakrishnan have written to PM Narendra Modi on the growing cases of lynching in the country.

The letter dated July 23 states: "You have criticised such lynchings in Parliament Mr. Prime Minister, but that is not enough! What action has actually been taken against the perpetrators?"

"Regrettably "Jai Shri Ram" has become a provocative "war cry" today that leads to law and order problems, and many lynchings take place in its name," it added. The letter also includes Binayak Sen, Soumitro Chatterjee, Revathy, Shyam Benegal, Shubha Mudgal, Rupam Islam, Anupam Roy, Parambrata, Riddhi Sen to name a few.

The letter states, "Ram is sacred for the majority community, stop defiling the name of Ram."

Talking about the number of lynching cases witnessed in the country, the celebrities have said, "The lynching of Muslims, Dalits and other minorities must be stopped immediately. We were shocked to learn from the NCRB that there have been no less than 840 instances of atrocities against Dalits in the year 2016, and a definite decline in the percentage of convictions."

The letter further adds, "There is no democracy without dissent. People should not be branded anti-national or urban Naxal and incarcerated because of dissent against the government."

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