Anatomy of a Vigil: In Whose Name was the Second #NotinMyName?

The decision to organise the ‘Not in my Name’ protest against the Amarnath Yatra attack was not an easy one.

“We are a campaign of concerned citizens and we cannot spend our time reacting to what others say and how others define us,” filmmaker Saba Dewan of the ‘Not In My Name’ campaign clarified on Tuesday evening at the Jantar Mantar vigil in solidarity with the seven slain Amarnath yatris.

Dewan seems to have given a fair response to the allegations that ‘Not In My Name’ campaign cares only for the lynching victims, who happen to be primarily Muslims, through her words and by holding this second vigil.

The decision to organise this protest, however, was not an easy one.

Radha Khan, part of the ‘Not In My Name’ organising committee, shares how the members debated extensively on the question of holding a vigil in solidarity with the victims of the Amarnath Yatra attack.

Amidst the speculations of a public funeral for the victims, we were debating whether it was a good idea to hold the vigil. Some of us were apprehensive that it could further fan the communal fire pegged on a narrative of nationalism.

Radha Khan

There were long discussions whether it is correct to box people in categories. The member shares that as per the information available at the planning stage, the bus carrying the Amarnath yatris was caught in a crossfire between the terrorists and the security forces.

The committee mulled whether the ‘Not In My Name’ campaign would be relevant here without getting co-opted into the nationalistic narrative.

Khan further shares that members in favour of this vigil prevailed upon those who objected by establishing that all lives lost are important. If not now, then when?

The Amarnath yatris, too, were killed for no fault of theirs. They just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Also Read: Amarnath Yatra Attack: Conspiracy Theory Sours Kashmir’s Shock

Seven innocent lives were lost and that was tragic enough; the committee decided to hold the protest.

From this internal debate, however, emanates a crucial question: Are there any parallels in the circumstances under which the victims of lynching and those of this terror attack lost their lives? Social media was abuzz with ideas like this: just as the religion of the beef victims was germane to the debate, so was that of the Amarnath yatris.

Radha Khan responded to those concerns:

My belief is that the circumstances have strong parallels despite the obvious differences. It is true that the terror attacks in Kashmir happen on a much bigger, more organised, scale. But the lynchings, too, aren’t as unorganised as they seem. Look at the case from Jharkhand: the victim was followed meticulously. How are the innocent Amarnath yatris, then, different from those killed over the mildest suspicion of carrying or eating beef?

There is a growing apprehension that these seemingly sporadic and spontaneous acts of violence may congeal into a much larger threat to the state, competing with the situations in Kashmir and the North East.

The idea that condemnation of the state policy and sympathy for the victims need not be mutually exclusive prevailed and the vigil was held within 24 hours of the terrorist attack. The statement issued by the group demonstrates that.

According to the ground reporters, there were less than 100 people at the Amarnath protest as opposed to the thousands that came in for the first one organised by the same group. Did it disappoint the organisers?

To this, Khan asserts:

Not at all. Not all protests invite equal participation. Those who decided to come were genuinely concerned about the issue and empathised with the families of the victims. We are not competing in terms of numbers, anyway.

Radha Khan

Does a low turnout suggest that the group does not enjoy trust and credibility when it comes to violence against Hindus? Again, Khan refutes the charge.

Also Read: ‘Don’t Compare Deaths’: Voices From Amarnath #NotInMyName Vigil

“After the Amarnath vigil was announced, we got laudatory messages on social media from people identifying themselves as staunch BJP supporters,” she says.

We are not a political party so there are no electoral gains in sight. We only want to create spaces for dialogue. This reflects in our internal debates too. The fact that the initial disagreements were later overcome in the name of doing what is right speaks well for the democratic structure of the group.

Radha Khan

Was there a concern that the right-wing is getting success in setting the agenda for even the left-liberal civil society outfits?

“Yes, some members said that we shouldn’t be pressured into doing this. But then, it was a case of ‘damned if we do, damned if we don’t. The left liberals are always attacked for not raising voice for Hindu killings. We want to break these binaries.” the member replies.

In the end, the question of the whataboutery remains. Is it possible to hold a vigil to prove a point every time a violent event occurs anywhere in the country?

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