Say no to communal violence: Over 300 people attend Peace March in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Almost 400 people joined the Peace March held by Telangana for Peace and Unity (TPU) from Babu Jagjivan Ram statue near L.B Stadium in Basheerbagh to Babasaheb Ambedkar statue near Tank Bund on Sunday.

The marchers carried posters with messages calling for communal harmony and peace. Some of them read "We stand United for Peace," "Say No to Communal Hatred," "Mazhab nahin sikhata aapas mein bair rakhna," and "Humanity is our common religion."

Speaking during the march, transgender rights activist and convener of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) Meera Sanghamitra said, "While Telangana has not suffered major communal violence like some other states, recent developments in the state show a very disturbing pattern. All of us who believe in peaceful co-existence must work very hard to ensure that the atmosphere is not vitiated. We must take the spirit of TPU and constitutional values to every part of Telangana and demonstrate that people want livelihoods and social security, not hate crimes and religious discrimination."

Kiran Kumar Vissa of Rythu Swarjya Vedika appealed to all people to raise their voices against hate, misinformation, and calls for violence. "Only then we can prevent escalation of the present situation," he added.

#Religion is personal
Stop making it political#Telangana sends a sturdy message to the world confirming its stand with #Peace and #Unity#Telangana4Peace #Telangana4Unity pic.twitter.com/lJcodnDA9u

— Telangana for Peace & Unity (@Telangana4Peace) April 24, 2022

TPU is a platform aimed to work toward establishing peace and unity in all communities in Hyderabad and across Telangana. The Peace March is the first public event of the forum and it will be followed by a Communal Harmony Campaign across many localities of Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana.

The march began with the reciting of the Preamble to the Indian Constitution and ended at the Ambedkar statue with the reading out a common resolution followed by brief remarks by senior activists and the singing of the national anthem.

After the Peace March, Telangana for Peace and Unity announced that they plan to work, in the coming months, with people in the state to wean away those attracted to communal politics and religious radicalisation and preserve the composite tolerant culture of Telangana. This Communal Harmony campaign will be taken up in localities of Hyderabad and the entire state of Telangana, focusing on sensitive areas.